Lagos Police Officers Under Investigation for Alleged Extortion of Corps Members

The Lagos State Police Command has called upon four of its officers to explain their alleged involvement in the extortion of N1 million from several National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members.

Daily Report Nigeria reports that the incident was brought to light in an X post late Thursday by a user identified as Olúyẹmí Fásípè, tweeting under the handle #YemieFash.

According to Fásípè, the corps members were threatened by the officers and subsequently taken to the Kafaru Oluwole Tinubu House, Area C Police Command, where they were “robbed.”

Fásípè revealed that the extortion was allegedly triggered when one of the corps members failed to present a hard copy of his driver’s licence.

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Also, a video circulating online shows the driver presenting some vehicle documents to an officer, who then asked, “What of your driver’s licence?” The driver replied, “I’m renewing it.”

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The officer requested the renewal papers, which the driver could not provide in hard copy.

Following this, a man in plain clothes, not immediately identifiable as a police officer, was seen removing the vehicle’s number plate, leading to an argument.

The corps members were then escorted to the police station, during which an officer instructed them not to use their mobile phones, warning that they would need to write statements at the station if they did.

One officer informed the corps members that it was an offence of “impersonation” to wear only the NYSC cap without the full uniform.

Fásípè’s X post read:

“Dear #BenHundeyin, your officers today in Surulere extorted one million naira from three corps members. They were threatened with firearms, kidnapped, and taken to the Kafaru Oluwole Tinubu House, Area C Police Command of the #LagosPoliceNG, where they were robbed. Their offence was not having a physical copy of a driver’s licence. This is evil!

“According to the victims, the officer in mufti is the one who collected the money (their boss).

“Ben, #BenHundeyin, here are the transaction receipts and a voice note of one of the victims explaining how the rogue officers extorted money from the three corps members.”

In response, the state command’s spokesperson, Benjamin Hundeyin, tweeting as #BenHundeyin, said on Friday: “The men have been summoned, and their trial has commenced.

“We urge the complainants to visit the Complaint Response Unit at the state headquarters to testify at the ongoing trial.”