Police summon officers over N1m extortion of corps members

The Lagos State Police Command has summoned four of its officers to account for their alleged involvement in the extortion of N1 million from some National Youth Service Corps members.

In a Twitter post shared late Thursday, a user tweeting as #YemieFash, identified as Olúyẹmí Fásípè, revealed the incident.

Fásípè stated that the corps members were threatened by the officers and later taken to the Kafaru Oluwole Tinubu House, Area C Police Command, where they were “robbed.”

He added that one of the corps members had failed to present a hard copy of his driver’s licence, which allegedly prompted the extortion.

In a video seen by PUNCH Online, the driver is shown presenting some vehicle documents to one of the officers, who asked, “What of your driver’s licence?” The driver responded, “I’m renewing it.”

The officer then requested the renewal papers, which the driver could not present in hard copy. Subsequently, a man dressed in plain clothes, not immediately identifiable as a police officer, was seen removing the vehicle’s number plate, after which an argument ensued.

The corps members were then led to the police station, during which an accompanying officer ordered them not to use their mobile phones, warning that they would be required to write statements at the station if they did.

One of the officers informed the corps members that it was an offence of “impersonation” to wear only the NYSC cap without the full uniform.

Fásípè’s tweet read: “Dear #BenHundeyin, your officers today in Surulere extorted one million naira from three corps members. They were threatened with firearms, kidnapped, and taken to the Kafaru Oluwole Tinubu House, Area C Police Command of the #LagosPoliceNG, where they were robbed. Their offence was not having a physical copy of a driver’s licence. This is evil!

“According to the victims, the officer in mufti is the one who collected the money (their boss).

“Ben, #BenHundeyin, here are the transaction receipts and a voice note of one of the victims explaining how the rogue officers extorted money from the three corps members.”

In response, the spokesperson for the state command, Benjamin Hundeyin, tweeting as #BenHundeyin, wrote on Friday: “The men have been summoned, and their trial has commenced. We urge the complainants to visit the Complaint Response Unit at the state headquarters to testify at the ongoing trial.”

The actions of the police officers have drawn widespread condemnation from netizens.