Residents of Lagos State have accused some police officers of exploiting the lockdown imposed on the state to check the spread of the ravaging coronavirus pandemic to extort them.
This is just as some residents of neighbouring Ogun State, at the weekend, alleged that soldiers deployed in their areas to enforce the lockdown had been violating people’s rights.
Lagos and Ogun are two of the states President Muhammadu Buhari recently declared a 14-day lockdown to check the spread of the dreaded COVID-19 pandemic. The lockdown is also being observed in Abuja.
But Lagos residents said police officers had allegedly taken delight in frivolously arresting people, irrespective of where they found them and later forced them to part with various sums of money before setting them free.
Some of the affected residents, who spoke with our correspondent, said they were arrested on their way from the market with the food items they had gone to purchase to feed their family members.
One of the victims of the alleged police extortion, Omowunmi Lawal, said, “I was arrested in Ojodu Berger while I was coming from the market with foodstuff and vegetables in my hand. I called the police officer’s attention to the government instruction that we can go to the market, but he decline until he took me to a nearby house, where I saw other police officers and people that had been arrested. After staying there for about one hour, one of them took me to a corner and told me to do the needful before they would take us to Alausa.
“At the end of it all, I parted with the remaining N2000 in my purse and had to trek home.”
Another victim, Mr John Amaka, while sharing his experience with our correspondent, said he coughed out N5000 before he could be released by policemen that arrested him on his way to see his son admitted in a hospital.
“When they stopped my car, I told them the situation and the drugs I was asked to go and buy and showed them other evidence. Instead, they told me I had been arrested for coming out. They held me for one hour. At the end they collected N5000 from me, threatening that they could have impounded my car.
“At the end, I have to place a call to the hospital to tell the doctor the situation.”
Some residents also accused policemen of attacking some food stuff sellers in their shops in Agege and destroyed some food items.
Residents who appealed to the police authorities to caution the officers, said, the policemen had earlier demanded for money before destroying the shops because the sellers did not grant their request.
Efforts by our correspondent to speak with the Lagos Police Public Relations Officer, Bala Elkana, on the development were not successful as at press time.
Meanwhile, residents of Ago-Iwoye and Ijebu Igbo in Ijebu North Local Government Area of Ogun State have accused soldiers deployed in the area to enforce the lockdown of flagrant abuse of their rights.
The residents alleged that the soldiers had formed the habit of whipping residents with horsewhip for venturing out of their houses.
“These soldiers are wicked. They even beat people taking fresh air in front of their houses with horsewhip. This is unacceptable to us. They should be called to order now before things will get out of hand,” a resident who pleaded not to be identified, said.
