Four Police Officers Arrested for Extorting ICPC Chairman in Abuja
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, during an unlawful stop-and-search operation in Abuja.
FCT Commissioner of Police, Ahmed Sanusi, disclosed the development while briefing journalists in Abuja on Monday. He said the officers abandoned their official duty posts, set up an illegal checkpoint around the Banex area in Wuse, and allegedly forced the ICPC chairman to withdraw cash through a Point of Sale (PoS) operator before collecting the money.
According to Sanusi, the officers later shared the money among themselves after the transaction.
“They extorted the chairman of the ICPC of N53,000. They took him to a PoS, he withdrew the money, paid the charges and they shared the money among themselves,” Sanusi said.
The police commissioner described the suspects as a criminal syndicate operating under the guise of law enforcement, noting that they left their assigned divisions to establish the unauthorized checkpoint.
He explained that the command first arrested the alleged leader of the group, whose confession led investigators to the remaining suspects.
“We got all of them. We are going to make sure they are severely punished. Those that are going to be dismissed will definitely be dismissed,” he added.
Sanusi also reaffirmed the directive of the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, prohibiting officers from conducting indiscriminate searches of citizens’ mobile phones during patrols.
He urged members of the public to refuse unlawful phone searches and promptly report any such incidents through the police emergency channels.
“Some of them are on the task because they are criminally minded. If we get them, they will face disciplinary actions and be made to face the consequences,” the commissioner stated.
The FCT Police Command said the suspects remain in custody and will face disciplinary and legal proceedings in line with police regulations.
