Finally, Police Admit Their Men Extort Innocent Victims through ATMs

Matilda Omonaiye/

Police authorities have admitted the long-standing allegations that some of their men extort members of the public by forcing them to withdraw money from automated teller machines.

Numerous victims have accused policemen of forcing them to pay bribes either through point of service terminals (POS), which they carry with them, or through forced withdrawals from automated teller machines (ATM).

‘the policemen were found to have used “menacing force” to compel innocent members of the public to withdraw undisclosed sums at ATM points.’

The police hierarchy has often denied these claims, but the Lagos State Police Command today disclosed the arrest of two policemen over these allegations.

The commissioner of police, Mr. Fatai Owoseni, said that the suspects were among six policemen arrested for various criminal acts in August.

He added that the police were, however, determined to nip this worrisome development within their rank and file in the bud.

Owoseni spoke at a press conference held at the police officers’ mess, Ikeja, today, but he did not disclose the ranks and identities of the implicated policemen.

He said that the policemen were found to have used “menacing force” to compel innocent members of the public to withdraw undisclosed sums at ATM points.

The police boss added that the command was determined to put an end to the era when policemen conducted “unauthorised and unwarranted” searches through citizens’ cell phones and laptops under the guise of looking for fraudsters, popularly called Yahoo Boys.

As for the other suspects, Owoseni said two of them were arrested for shooting an innocent citizen while they were carrying out an illegal operation at Ajao Estate, in Isolo area of the city.

According to him, the policemen fired and injured the wife of a suspect they had gone to arrest despite not having authorisation to carry out the arrest in the first place.

The remaining two policemen were arrested over alleged defilement, he further revealed.

Owoseni said investigation was still going on in the case and the two policemen would be duly prosecuted.

He further disclosed that seven suspects have been indicted in the recent discoveries of suspected kidnappers’ hideouts in different parts of Lagos.

While none of the suspects could be directly linked with the badoo cult or ritual murder, a case of attempted kidnap and possession of dangerous charms had been established against them, according to the police boss.

Owoseni said his men also arrested members of a gang that specialised in robbing passengers in commuter buses.

He said that valuables, mostly cell phones of victims, were recovered from the gang and had been returned to some of the original owners.

He reiterated its earlier warning to deal decisively with anyone caught in the act of jungle justice, while soliciting the cooperation of the public to successfully tackle crime.

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