The Lagos state police command says it has arrested four officers who allegedly harassed and extorted N70,000 from a 16-year-old student.
The spokesman of the command, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, disclosed this in a statement issued on Friday.
The incident was said to have occurred on Wednesday, at Isheri area of Lagos.
According to the statement, Hakeem Odumosu, Lagos commissioner of police, said pictures of the alleged extortion attracted the complaint response unit of the force, which led to the tracking of the officers involved.
“The Lagos State Police Command has arrested four (4) police Inspectors that allegedly harassed and extorted 70,000 (seventy thousand naira only) from one 16-year-old student, Segun, on 18th January, 2021, at NGAB Junction, Isheri Area of Lagos State, in a Toyota Corolla car,” the statement reads.
“The picture of the policemen that were caught in the act of unprofessionalism and extortion, had gone viral on the social media which attracted the Complaint Response Unit of the Nigeria Police Force, Force Headquarters Abuja, to track the policemen for necessary police action.
“The matter was subsequently referred to the Lagos State Police Command for further action.”
The officers arrested were identified as “1. 223329 Inspr Emmanuel Michael, m, 40; 2. 146504 Inspr Subday Odubiyi, m, 40 3. 256496 Inspr Lawrence Amedu, m, 39, and 4. 255043 Inspr Aroye Dickson, m, 40.”
They were said to have confessed to the crime “after due interrogation”, and refunded the N70,000 to the student.
Odumosu, who condemned the action of the officers, described it as “detrimental to the image of the Police Force and counterproductive to the ongoing reform agenda of the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Mohammed Abubakar Adamu, NPM, mni”.
The statement also noted that the police commissioner has directed an orderly room trial of the officers “to serve as a deterrent to other criminally-minded police personnel in the command and beyond”.
Odumosu also warned officers “against such criminal, unprofessional and disgusting act amongst police personnel”, and assured the general public that justice would be served.
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