Four FCT police officers arrested for allegedly extorting ICPC chairman in Abuja
Four police officers attached to the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command have been arrested for allegedly extorting N53,000 from the Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Dr. Musa Aliyu (SAN), during an unauthorised stop-and-search operation in Abuja.
The FCT Commissioner of Police, Ahmed Sanusi, disclosed the development on Monday, describing the officers as unfit to remain in the Nigeria Police Force.
According to Sanusi, the officers allegedly abandoned their official duty posts and mounted an illegal checkpoint around the Banex area in Wuse, where they stopped and extorted the ICPC chairman without knowing his identity.
The commissioner said Dr. Aliyu was allegedly forced to withdraw N53,000 through a Point of Sale (POS) operator, paid the transaction charges, and handed the money to the officers, who reportedly shared the proceeds among themselves.
Investigations further revealed that the suspects had formed a criminal gang that routinely carried out illegal extortion of motorists after leaving their designated duty locations.
Sanusi said the command declared the officers wanted before tracking down their alleged gang leader, whose confession led to the arrest of the other members.
He assured that all four officers are in custody and will face disciplinary proceedings, adding that any officer found culpable would be dismissed from the Nigeria Police Force.
The commissioner also reiterated that the Inspector-General of Police has prohibited indiscriminate searches of citizens' mobile phones during patrols and stop-and-search operations.
He urged residents to resist unlawful demands to inspect their phones and promptly report such incidents through the police emergency lines, assuring that the command remains committed to identifying and sanctioning officers involved in extortion and other misconduct.
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