The Nigerian Police at the weekend arrested officers attached to the Special Tactical Squad in Abuja for extorting the sum of N30m from a member of the public.
In a statement by the Force Public Relations Officer, ACP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, the police said the case was brought to their attention via X (formerly Twitter).
According to the statement, significant progress was made in arresting the officers and their accomplices.
An X user, Harrison Gwamnishu, with the handle, #HarrisonBbi18, had in a video, narrated how the officers stopped an unnamed man, searched his phone, and proceeded to extort the money through private bank accounts.
“They stopped the young man on the road, took him to their car, started checking his phones, checked his account balance and that was how they wiped everything off to two accounts they gave to the boy, Access bank and Moniepoint accounts,” he said.
However, the Force spokesman said the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, was committed to upholding the highest standards of integrity and accountability in the Police Force, adding that the IGP had ordered the immediate commencement of disciplinary actions against the officers “to ensure that justice is served swiftly and decisively.”
The IGP further stated that those who violated the public trust in the Police would face the full consequences of their actions; as such behaviours undermined efforts to maintain law and order.
The statement read in part, “Following the recent act of extortion by some officers of the Nigeria Police attached to the Special Tactical Squad in Abuja who extorted a member of the public of the sum of N30,300,000, which was brought to the notice of the Force via the X Platform, the Nigeria Police wishes to reveal and announce that significant progress has been made in apprehending the officers and their accomplices responsible for this unprofessional conduct as the squad who initially escaped upon commencement of investigations have been arrested and are currently in custody.
“The Inspector General of Police, IGP Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, as part of his commitment to upholding the highest standards of integrity and accountability within the Nigeria Police Force, has ordered the commencement of disciplinary proceedings to ensure that justice is served swiftly and decisively.”
