Four police officers in Abuja have been arrested for allegedly extorting N53,000 from the chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, Dr Musa Aliyu (SAN).
The Federal Capital Territory Commissioner of Police, Ahmed Sanusi, disclosed the arrests on Monday while briefing journalists in Abuja. Punch, Daily Post and Daily Trust all reported that the incident happened during an illegal stop-and-search operation in the Banex area of Wuse.
The reports said the officers left their duty posts, mounted an unauthorised checkpoint and stopped Aliyu without knowing he was the head of the anti-corruption agency. Daily Trust reported that the officers forced him to withdraw the money from a nearby Point of Sale operator before sharing it among themselves.
Sanusi said the command had detained the officers and opened disciplinary action against them. The reports also said the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, had been notified of the case.
The case is embarrassing for the police because the alleged victim leads one of Nigeria’s main anti-corruption agencies. It also raises fresh questions about illegal checkpoints and routine extortion complaints in the capital.
The command said the officers would face the next stage of disciplinary action after the investigation.
Sources: Punch, Daily Post, Daily Trust
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