Extortion: Policemen, LASTMA Officials Caught Asking Motorist to Pay N75k into Bank Account

Segun Atanda/

 

Police authorities in Lagos have held four policemen and three state traffic officials who allegedly opened a shop on the road asking motorists to pay into a specified bank account.

According to the police, the suspects were caught when they gave one Mr Waheed Lamidi a Diamond Bank account number 0020558133, titled Femi Adebanji, to transfer N75,000 when he complained that he had no cash.

The Lagos State police spokesman, CSP Chike Oti, told NewsmakersNG in a statement how the Commissioner of Police (CP) Edgal Imohimi caught the suspects.

The statement reads: “The attention of the Commissioner of Police, Lagos State Command, was this morning, 30/10/2018, drawn to a publication on page 19 of The Nation Newspaper, of the same date, captioned “Police as a cesspit of corruption”.

The reporter drew attention to the underhand dealings of some policemen he ran into on his way to Festac town Lagos. He alleged that the men took him to First Gate of Festac Town which they have turned to an extortion point.

Sequel to the information gained from the publication, the CP directed the Area Commander in-charge of Area E, Festac, ACP Yusuf Ajape and the officer in charge of the Command’s X-Squad Section, SP Aliu Abubakar, to carry out a covert operation around the aforementioned location leading to the arrest of the following policemen and Lagos State Traffic Management Agency officials (LASTMA):

1. Inspector Charles Omokaro
2. Inspector Idara Akai
3. Sergeant Chidi Mordi
4. Sergeant Joseph Bernard

LASTMA OFFICIALS

1. Mr. Sam Adekunle
2. Mr. Omolaja Ige
3. Mrs. Modinat Folashade

 

“They were caught trying to extort one Mr. Waheed Lamidi, whom they gave a Diamond Bank account number 0020558133, titled Femi Adebanji to transfer the sum of seventy-five thousand Naira only (N75,000.00) when he complained that he had no cash.

“The CP Lagos has directed that the suspects be brought to the Command Headquarters, X-Squad section, for a thorough investigation and appropriate disciplinary action if found guilty.

“In the same vein, the CP says the Command will always welcome opinions, comments and  criticism geared towards helping the Force rid bad eggs in its midst and improve service delivery and not comments designed to debase or ridicule the Force.”

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