Four police officers have been detained by the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command for allegedly extorting ₦53,000 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.
According to FCT Commissioner of Police Ahmed Sanusi, the officers abandoned their duty posts, mounted an unauthorised checkpoint around the Banex area in Wuse, and forced the ICPC chairman to withdraw the money through a Point of Sale (POS) operator, where he also paid the transaction charges before the officers shared the proceeds.
Sanusi described the suspects as “criminals in police uniform,” saying they had formed a gang that carried out illegal extortion operations. He said all four officers have been arrested and are facing disciplinary action, including possible dismissal.
The commissioner also reiterated that police officers have no authority to conduct indiscriminate searches of citizens’ mobile phones and urged Nigerians to report any officer who attempts to do so or engages in extortion.