Unending harassment, extortion by Nigerian Police -

By Tolulope Atanniyi

Two years after the EndSARS protest held Nigeria to a standstill over police extortion, brutality and extrajudicial killing, the Nigerian Police are still in the business of extorting innocent citizens.

The issue of police harassment and extortion remains a big issue in the country. Harassment by the police hinges on to extortion,which If you don’t comply with them, might lands you in a big trouble either by detention ,been frame for other crimes and possibly might lead to extra judicial killing.

Youths believed as long as you’re 17 years and above you’re eligible for police harassment’ and extortion. Looking fresh and neat,using an iPhone,Laptop,or crypto related activities triggers and automatically make you a Yahoo boy even without the victim not engaged in committing such crimes.

Femi a student of Ondo state University was arrested on the road by members of the Nigeria police force on his way going back to school, Claiming he should always walk with his phone receipt.

“the man that detained me illegally,harassed me, he and his team extorted me through a pos agent. I secretly took a picture of him before I left. They didn’t let me write a statement because they knew I had committed no offense. I had to borrow the money I paid to them.

“I was told I’m supposed to carry my receipts everywhere I go,And my receipts are in school

The police extorted me,I’m not a yahoo boy.I’m not into cyber crimes or whatever and Nothing was found on my phone

I don’t know what to do When have been detained, I had to borrow the money I paid to them. And later released after being extorted the sun of 10,000 naira.

The Nigerian Police extorts partly on the different ways to frame victims up like Planting of drugs,weed/cocaine on them,forcing victim to write incriminating statements,threatened to kill and frame them to be an armed robber,killer,or ipob membe.they also call parents to claim you are into fraud and cybercrimes and other scrupulous invented method

Kolade Adejuwon a student of adekunle ajasin university(Aaua) shared his experience with the Hope, when he was send an errand by his mother in Ibadan,Oyo state along the route Where they do stay as usual.

“They told me to come down from the bike,ordered me to open my phone and after searching, they found nothing incriminating. They went straight to my bank app and forced me to open it which i later did cos i don’t have anything to hide since I’m not into any cyber crime they saw the amount of #60,000 which was sent to me by my mother to pay up for the house equipment and foodstuffs which I’m going to pick up they seized my phone and refused to gave it back and insisted I follow them to their station…and After the whole driving around the town,harassing other transport commuting people.

“I wanted to call my parents about it but was not given access to my phone because it was with one of them which they refused to gave it back, I was slapped twice when we got to the station and was told I’ll be framed to be a fraudster and also caught with drugs which they showed me so I won’t be leaving here until I pay the sum of #15,000…I was so disappointed,don’t have any choice left so I have to do it from the money sent to me by my mother until they finally set me free.

Olamilekan oguntomisin A 300L student of Aaua, also recounts his ordeal about police harassment and extortion Along Akungba-ikare road. where he was stopped by the police officer in duty, he said “they searched through my stuffs and found nothing,they also asked me for my phone which i brought out but I refused to handover it to them at first,they told me to unlock it I said I won’t because it’s meant for me only and they don’t have the right to go through my phone for any reason . Since things are about getting complicated The bikeman interfered that I should comply in order not to waste their time, so I have to unlocked while they searched through and still found nothing implicated.

They later accused me of defying the law when i failed to comply with their order at first they told the bike man to leave and delayed me over two hours before telling me to pay the sum of #5000 to bail myself, I told them where do they expect me to get it from? I don’t have such amount if I do I won’t be heading to where I’m going now but they insisted I won’t be leaving until I Settle them or they take me with them to their nearby station and things will get worse from there. I called my friend and explain things to him when he sent #3,000 i told them that’s the only amount i can raised at the moment. They refused at first but some minutes later they came back and told me to go back to town and withdraw it,that they won’t be receiving any transfer before they finally let me go

Nigerians believed The rot in the Nigeria Police Force is not talked about enough. From mobilization fees to extortion, to deliberate incrimination. Saying the extortion by men of the Nigeria police on the street is driven by corruption in the policing system, police taking bribe at checkpoints which daily cash targets are apportioned to these officers and all targets must be met respectively.

While some believe the reasons police engaged in extortion is pure greed and not underpaid ,some of them blame it on the government.Which they claimed to buy their uniforms, office stationeries etc with their own money.

Barrister wemimo Olagunjoye said extortion is a pure case of armed robbery,where police dressed in uniform, carry guns to intimidate people,kill and believe nothing will happen since they are covered by the law, It’s an extortion racket which Many of their superiors know about as well, and that’s why the criminality is so rampant. seriously It’s not a joke out there because they will do anything to get money from you just like armed robbers, Victims can be detained illegally,tortured or killed by criminal police officers. He added

Recently,The Public relations officer in Lagos state superintendent Benjamin Hundeyin recalled that “It has been observed over time that some roving POS operators has specialize in hanging around police stations. That Investigations reveal that their target customers are innocent Nigerians being extorted by some recalcitrant police officers.

He said their presence around the stations has made the extortion game a lot easier. While the Force continually purges itself of these bad officers, and it has become imperative that the activities of POS operators around police stations would be regulated,as some of them have been identified to be enablers of extortion. He proclaimed that the regulation is in line with their mandate of not just detecting but also preventing crime. “To this end, anyone found to have knowingly enabled in extortion will be treated as an accomplice,he added.

The force public relations officer(FPRO) chief superintendent Olumuyiwa Adejobi In a bid to reduce and possibly put a stop to extortion, harassment and brutality in the Nigeria police force (NPF), via social media twitter said the police force will henceforth hold DPOs and Commanders responsible for the misdeeds of their men. In as much as they don’t accept or promote vicarious liability.

Nigerians commended the IGP for the Great development,hoping it will be enforced and put into action immediately and effectively.