The Ogun State Commissioner of Police, Edward Awolowo Ajogun, has ordered the arrest of three policemen reported to have forcefully extorted a sum of N153, 000 from a student of Lagos State University (LASU) on Saturday, April 24, 2021.
The officers were identified as Sergeant Jimoh Asimiyu, Sergeant Solomon Adedapo and Inspector Sunday John.
Revealing this in a statement on Sunday, the state police spokesperson, DSP Abimbola Oyeyemi, stated that the state police commissioner, after learning about the conduct of the officers on Social Media, directed the Divisional Police Officer in charge of Owode Egba Division, to immediately ensure their arrest.
The suspects were alleged to have forcefully extorted the said money from the complainant while he was travelling from Abeokuta to Lagos State.
The statement further revealed that the erring officers have been arrested and investigation into their unprofessional acts already ongoing.
Oyeyemi wrote, “The money was recovered from them and returned to the victim, while the officers are currently undergoing departmental orderly room trial, at which an appropriate punishment will be awarded to them,”
The Police Commissioner however appealed to members of the public not to hesitate in reporting any officer of the command found doing whatever is not consistent with the law of land.
He also warned officers and men of the command to desist from any act capable of tarnishing the image of the force, as such would not be tolerated.
The alleged incident was exposed to the public by the complainant who posted his ordeal in the hands of the officers on social media.
According to the student, “I was travelling to Abeokuta from Ibadan today, but on getting to Abeokuta along the expressway, some policemen stopped our car and asked me to down from the car. I was told to unlock my phone which I refused, but due to the refusal by me, they brought out a shocker and threatened tO kill me if I don’t oblige.”
He wrote further, “so I opened my phone due to the threat from them and upon going through it, I was asked to pay the sum of N1,000,000, but I told them don’t have up to that amount. Later on, they asked me to open my bank app which they saw a balance of N288,000 and told me that they will collect N250,000 out of it without telling me what I did wrong, so I begged them that needed for somethings but they insisted on collecting N150,000.
The student revealed that after much insistence by the officers, a sum of N153,000 was electronically withdrawn from his account. He said, “then I was asked to give them my ATM card which I denied I don’t have, so they took me to a PAGA shop which they have a connection with. The PAGA man collected a fee of N3,000 after negotiating from N5,000. On a final note, I did a transfer of N153,000.