The Lagos State Police Command has commenced an investigation into allegations of misconduct against officers accused of harassing and attempting to extort a serving National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) member, Charles Mbatogu.
The command’s spokesperson, SP Abimbola Adebisi, disclosed this on Monday via her X handle, @AbimbolaShotayo, following a formal complaint by the corps member, who uses the handle @devcharlezen.
Adebisi said the complainant reported to the command and provided useful details that aided the internal review process. According to her, two officers have been formally queried, while one has been defaulted in line with established disciplinary procedures.
She commended the corps member for coming forward and expressed appreciation for his courage in speaking up about his experience.
The development follows allegations that Mbatogu was unlawfully detained, intimidated and subjected to attempted extortion by officers attached to Ladegboye Police Station, Ikorodu.
In a post on his X handle, he said the incident occurred around 10:00 a.m. on Saturday while he was travelling from Ikeja to Epe.
He alleged that officers stopped his vehicle and, after verifying his documents, began questioning him about his tribe, state of origin and activities in Lagos.
“I presented my NYSC identification card, but the officers doubted its authenticity and asked me to log into my NYSC portal for verification. An officer seized my phone and searched my private messages without my consent, later accusing me of internet fraud after seeing chats with a colleague,” he said.
He further claimed he was forced into a police vehicle and driven around for nearly three hours while being pressured to confess to fraud.
According to him, an officer demanded 1,000 dollars from his cryptocurrency account and threatened to transfer him to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
“When I agreed to be taken to the EFCC, they refused and continued driving,” he added.
He also alleged that his girlfriend was driven separately in his car and that her phone was confiscated during the incident. Out of fear, she reportedly jumped from the moving vehicle and sustained bruises.
Mbatogu said his car was later returned with scratches and mechanical faults that were not present before the encounter.
At the police station, he said he was interrogated for about two hours, during which officers contacted his colleague and the chief executive officer of an application he was developing. After clarifying issues related to shared ATM card details used for debugging, he said officers verified his identity and released him.
He further alleged that his NYSC cap was discarded and his identity card torn during the incident. He claimed officers later asked him to write a statement indicating that the matter had been settled, but he refused.
Describing the experience as traumatic and humiliating, he maintained that no citizen deserves such treatment.