*FCT CP: ‘If Any Policeman Stops You, Asks To Search Your Phone, Don’t Agree’
THE Nigeria Police Force (NPF) has arrested and detained four of its officers in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command for allegedly extorting N53, 000 from the Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC), Musa Aliyu (SAN), during an illegal stop-and-search operation in city.
The Commissioner of Police in charge of the Command, Ahmed Sanusi, who disclosed this on Monday, July 20, while briefing journalists in Abuja, describing the officers as “thieves” who have no business wearing Police uniform.
Sanusi said the officers had been taken into custody and were undergoing disciplinary procedures over the incident.
He described the officers’ actions as criminal and inconsistent with the standards expected of members of the Nigeria Police Force, adding that they would face appropriate disciplinary measures if found culpable.
He explained that the officers mounted an unauthorised checkpoint around the Banex area of Wuse after leaving their respective duty posts and extorted the ICPC chairman, ignorant of his true identity.
Sanusi stated that Aliyu was forced to withdraw N53, 000 through a Point of Sale (PoS) operator and even paid the transaction charges before the officers shared the money among themselves.
“I must say here, too, that we have about four policemen in custody as we speak, who successfully extorted somebody of high importance, unknown to them that this person is a highly placed person in society. In clear terms, they extorted the Chairman of the ICPC.
“They extorted him of N53, 000. They took him to a POS, he withdrew the money, paid the charges and they shared the money among themselves.”
The Police chief said investigations revealled that the officers had abandoned their duty posts and mounted an illegal checkpoint to extort motorists, adding: “They are a gang of criminals who left various divisions, clustered together, moved to Wuse Banex and created a checkpoint where they perpetrated this act before fleeing.”
He stated that the Command had declared the officers wanted before apprehending their gang leader, whose confession led to the arrest of the other members of the gang, noting: “We got all of them. We are going to make sure they are severely punished.
“Those that are going to be dismissed will definitely be dismissed.”
Sanusi stressed that the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Tunji Disu, had prohibited indiscriminate search of citizens’ mobile phones by officers on patrol, advising residents not to obey any unlawful demand by policemen to search their phones on the road, but to immediately report such incidents through the Police emergency lines.
He stated: “You cannot stop anybody on the road and ask the person to bring out his phone for search. If any policeman stops you and asks to search your phone, don’t agree. Call the police emergency lines and we will ask them why.”
The Police boss urged Nigerians to promptly report cases of extortion and other misconduct by Police personnel, assuring that offenders would be tracked down and sanctioned.
“We will still enforce the IGP’s directive. Some of them are on the task, because they are criminally minded. They want to perpetrate such acts.
“If we get them, they will face disciplinary actions and will be made to face the consequences.”
