Four Police Inspectors identified as Emmanuel Michael, male, 40, Sunday Odubiyi, male, 40, Lawrence Amedu, male, 39, and Aroye Dickson, male, 40 are reportedly in trouble with the Nigerian Police Force after they were accused of extorting a student in Lagos.
The 16-year-old student, simply identified as Segun was allegedly harassed and extorted by four police officers at NGAB Junction, Isheri area of Lagos State. He reported the issue at a police station on January 18, 2021.
Narrating his ordeal, Segun, said he was on his way to school when he was ‘abducted’ and driven around the state by the Policemen and finally taken to Isheri Divisional Police Station. He said, “my phone was seized by the Policemen after which they extorted N70,000 from me,”
To avert being traced, the money was transferred to a Point Of Service (POS) operator who was immediately called to confirm the alert.
The victim said after his release, he was quick to report the incident which attracted the attention of senior Police officers in the country.
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 and the matter was subsequently referred to the Lagos State Police Command for further action.
After due interrogations, the Policemen confessed to the crime and refunded the N70,000 to the student, on bond, which forms the key credible evidence/exhibit in the case.
The Commissioner of Police, Lagos State, Hakeem Odumosu, has condemned the act of the Police Inspectors which is 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.
He has however ordered for the orderly room trial of the Inspectors with immediate effect so as to serve as a deterrent to other criminally-minded Police personnel in the command and beyond.
CP Hakeem Odumosu also warned officers and men in Lagos State that the command will spread its tentacles in fighting against such criminal, unprofessional and disgusting act amongst Police personnel in Lagos State.
He also assured members of the public of people-oriented and community-based policing styles in Lagos State, as justice will be done in Segun’s case.
