The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command has arrested 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.
Ahmed Sanusi, FCT Commissioner of Police, disclosed this on Monday while briefing journalists, describing the officers as “criminals” unfit to wear the police uniform.
According to him, the officers abandoned their assigned duty posts and mounted an unauthorised checkpoint around the Banex area of Wuse, where they carried out the extortion without knowing the identity of their victim.
Sanusi revealed that the ICPC chairman was forced to withdraw the sum through a Point of Sale (POS) operator and even paid the transaction charges before the officers shared the money among themselves.
“They extorted him of N53,000. They took him to a POS, he withdrew the money, paid the charges, and they shared the money,” the commissioner said.
Preliminary investigations showed that the officers acted as a coordinated group, forming what the police described as a criminal gang operating outside official duties.
“They left their various divisions, came together, moved to Wuse Banex, and created an illegal checkpoint where they perpetrated this act before fleeing,” Sanusi added.
The police command subsequently declared the officers wanted and arrested their gang leader, whose confession led to the capture of the remaining members.
“We have all of them in custody. They will face severe disciplinary measures, including dismissal where applicable,” the commissioner stated.
Sanusi reiterated that the Inspector-General of Police has banned indiscriminate searches of citizens’ mobile phones, stressing that no officer has the right to demand access to personal devices on the roadside.
He urged residents to resist such unlawful demands and report incidents through official police emergency lines.
“You cannot stop anyone on the road and demand their phone for a search. If that happens, report immediately and we will take action,” he said.
The commissioner assured the public that the command remains committed to identifying and sanctioning officers involved in extortion and other forms of misconduct.