Osun CP asked to prosecute those involved
Police yet to learn from #EndSARS protests’
BY TIMOTHY AGBOR, OSOGBO
Some men of the Osun State Police Command have been indicted for extorting N525, 000 from three young travellers, using a POS machine in Osogbo, the state capital at gun point.
The global civil society organisation leading the fight against corruption, Transparency International, alleged that about six policemen said to be wearing jackets with Police Response Unit inscriptions, recently intercepted some travellers at Osogbo junction in the state, and extorted the sum from three young male passengers identified as: Toheeb Babalola, Jamiu Olajide and Taiwo Olamilekan.
Narrating their ordeal, the trio said they were treated like criminals and forced to use a Point of Sale machine to transfer money from a GTBank account belonging to one of them with account number: 0594722075 to a First Bank account owned by TEAMAPT LIMITED whose business address is 12, Wole Ariyo Street, Lekki Phase 1, Lagos.
One of them said, “While travelling from Ibadan to Akure at about 1:30pm, at Osogbo Junction, we were stopped by a team of six police officers wearing jackets with ‘Police Response Unit’ inscriptions. They checked our papers and found everything complete.
“They also checked our phones and found nothing incriminating, but insisted they would take us to the State Command, Osogbo. They threatened to shoot us when we demanded to know our offence or the reasons for our arrest. At the Criminal Investigation Department, Osogbo, we were threatened to hand over our ATM cards to them.
“They thereafter took us to Okefia in Osogbo where they transferred the whole funds – five hundred and twenty-five thousand naira (N525,000.00) found in the bank account of one of us. They locked us up in the cell for some time before they took us to where the POS was at Okefia.
“They put us in one room that looked like a toilet; they asked two of us to face the wall but my friend who owns the car was with them before they asked us to write statements. There was a lady with us whom they asked to stay outside.
“They said we were internet fraudsters, yet they checked our phones and found nothing. Assuming we were internet fraudsters as alleged, was taking our money the solution? I thought they were supposed to charge us to court. Before we gave them N525, 000 under duress, they first said we should give them N1 million.
“This is the account from which they transferred our money: 0594722075 Babatola Toheeb, GTbank, through a First Bank POS at Okefia. We attach the printout evidencing the transfer.”
Speaking in Osogbo, the spokesperson for Transparency International, Ayo Ologun, criticised the Nigeria Police, Osun State Police Command, for failing to expose and prosecute some of its officers that forced the three travellers to transfer N525,000 at gun point in the state.
He said T I took up the matter and ensured that Police authorities refunded the three young men’s money. Ologun said notwithstanding the fact that the money had been refunded, his organisation had demanded the parade of the officers involved and that the State Police Command should prosecute them to serve as deterrence for others.
Ologun condemned random profiling of every successful youth as a criminal by the Police, adding that the #EndSARS protest was to address injustice and extortion by Police officers.
He said, “Yes, the money might have been refunded but justice would not have be served if the officers that carried out this criminal act are not exposed and prosecuted openly. It is high time the Police stopped profiling successful youths as criminals. Every successful youth is not a Yahoo Boy. For every one Yahoo Boy you see, there are five successful youths who are making their money legitimately.
“It is mind boggling that criminals are being shielded and protected by the Police. What we condemned in #EndSARS is now rearing its ugly head.
“It is a challenge to the security agencies not to aid and abet crimes. It is unfortunate that Yahoo Boys now build houses for Police Commissioners in order to evade arrest.”
“You can imagine that recently in Osogbo, some Yahoo Boys stormed the street in protest against arrest by the Officials of EFCC. This shows that they have been emboldened and is very unfortunate,” Ologun lamented.
