Two Lagos residents are facing prosecution after recording police officers allegedly extorting money from motorists at the Trade Fair area of Lagos.
The Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of the Trade Fair Division, CSP Elebute Olabisi, reportedly ordered the arrest of the duo — Onyeama Felix, 31, and Agboola Titilayo, 27 — after they used their mobile phones to film officers suspected of taking bribes from drivers on the busy Trade Fair bridge and near the police station.
According to reports, Felix was apprehended while recording officers allegedly collecting cash from motorists atop the bridge, while Titilayo was arrested the following day for filming policemen on guard duty at the station.
Instead of investigating the alleged extortion, the DPO allegedly accused the pair of attempting to “defame” the police and ordered their immediate prosecution.
The suspects were charged before the Ojo Magistrate Court on two counts of “conduct likely to cause a breach of public peace” under Section 168(d) of the Lagos State Criminal Law, 2015.
The charge sheet alleged that the duo used their phones to record police officers “while performing their lawful duty, with intent to defame their character.”
Both defendants pleaded not guilty. The prosecutor, Inspector Esther Adesulu, requested a hearing date to allow the police to present evidence against them.
Presiding Magistrate Mrs. O.M. Ogun granted bail to the accused persons, with sureties required to show proof of livelihood, tax payment, and verifiable addresses. Pending the fulfillment of their bail conditions, they were remanded in custody at the correctional center.
The arrests have sparked outrage among civil rights advocates, who argue that the police action was an attempt to intimidate citizens and shield corrupt officers from exposure. Activists insist that recording public officers performing their duties — especially in suspected cases of extortion — is not a crime but a civic act in the interest of accountability.