The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command has detained four police officers accused of extorting N53,000 from the Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Dr. Musa Aliyu (SAN), during an illegal stop-and-search operation in Abuja.
Speaking to journalists on Monday, the FCT Commissioner of Police, Ahmed Sanusi, condemned the officers’ actions, describing them as criminals who were unfit to wear the police uniform.
According to Sanusi, the officers abandoned their official duty posts and set up an unauthorized checkpoint around the Banex area in Wuse, where they allegedly stopped and extorted motorists. Unaware of the identity of their victim, they reportedly forced the ICPC chairman to withdraw N53,000 through a Point of Sale (POS) operator, pay the transaction charges, and then shared the money among themselves.
“They extorted the Chairman of the ICPC of N53,000. They took him to a POS operator where he withdrew the money, paid the charges, and they divided the proceeds among themselves,” the police commissioner said.
Sanusi revealed that investigations showed the officers had left their assigned divisions to form an extortion gang operating an illegal checkpoint in the Banex area.
He explained that the command declared the officers wanted before tracking down their alleged gang leader, whose confession led investigators to arrest the remaining members of the group.
“Their leader was arrested first, and his confession helped us apprehend the others. We have all of them in custody, and they will face the full weight of disciplinary procedures. Those found deserving of dismissal will be dismissed,” he stated.
The commissioner also reiterated the directive of the Inspector-General of Police prohibiting officers from conducting indiscriminate searches of citizens’ mobile phones during routine patrols or roadside operations.
He urged residents to reject any unlawful request by police officers to inspect their phones and to immediately report such incidents through the police emergency lines.
“No police officer has the authority to stop a citizen on the road and demand to search their mobile phone. If anyone attempts to do so, refuse the request and contact the police emergency lines immediately,” Sanusi said.
He further encouraged members of the public to report cases of extortion, harassment, or any form of police misconduct, assuring that officers found guilty of such offences would be identified, disciplined, and held accountable.
According to Sanusi, the FCT Police Command remains committed to enforcing the Inspector-General’s directives and eliminating misconduct within its ranks.
