Officers accused of extorting N1 million from Nigerian corps members have been summoned by the police for investigation. Get insights into the unfolding case and official actions.
The Lagos State Police Command has summoned four police officers for their alleged involvement in the extortion of one million naira from members of the National Youth Service Corps.
In a Twitter post shared late Thursday, a user who identifies himself as Olúyẹmí Fásípè, #YemieFash, disclosed the incident.
Fasipe said the corps members were threatened by the officers before being taken to the Kafaru Oluwole Tinubu House, Area C Police Command, where they were “robbed”.
He added that the extortion was triggered by one of the corps members’ failure to produce a paper copy of his driver’s license.
In a video published by PUNCH Online, the driver was seen presenting his vehicle documents to one of the officers, who asked, “How is your driver’s license?” In response, the driver said, “I’m renewing it.”
The officers then asked for the renewal documents, which the driver failed to produce on paper. A man in plain clothes was then seen removing the license plate from the car and an altercation ensued.
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The corps members were then taken to the police station where the accompanying police officers ordered them not to use their mobile phones, warning them that if they did, they would have to make a statement at the police station.
One of the officers informed the corps members that wearing only their NYSC cap without uniform was an offence of “impersonation”.
Fasipe’s tweet read: “Dear #BenHundeyin, Your officials extorted 1 million naira from three corps members today in Surulere. Individuals were subjected to threats involving firearms, abducted, and transported to Kafaru Oluwole Tinubu House, located within the Area C Police Command of #LagosPoliceNG, where they were subsequently robbed. Their alleged transgression was the absence of a physical copy of their driver’s license. This situation is indeed concerning.
“According to the victims, it was a civilian official (superior) who collected the money.
“Ben, #BenHundeyin, here’s the transaction receipt and an audio message from one of the victims explaining how the unscrupulous officials extorted money from three of our corps members,” he tweeted on Friday. “The men have been summoned and the trial has begun. We urge the accusers to visit the complaints department at the state headquarters to testify in the ongoing trial.”
The police officers’ actions were widely condemned by netizens.