The Lagos State Police Command has detained three of its officers for allegedly extorting N150,000 from a 21-year-old traveller, Ramadan Adenola, during a stop-and-search operation under the Otedola Bridge.
Confirming the development, the state Police Public Relations Officer, CSP Benjamin Hundeyin, stated that the officers had been identified and taken into custody, while the extorted money had been recovered.
“The Commissioner of Police, Olohundare Moshood Jimoh, has ordered an immediate investigation and disciplinary action against the erring officers,” Hundeyin said.
Narrating his experience, Adenola said he was travelling to Ife after a business trip in Lagos when he and a colleague were flagged down by the policemen while riding in a Bolt vehicle heading to Berger.
Despite conducting thorough searches of their bags and mobile phones and finding nothing incriminating, the officers insisted on taking them to the Isheri Police Station, where they were held for about two hours.
According to Adenola, the officers accused him of having “incriminating evidence” on his phone after spotting the Binance app—a cryptocurrency trading platform.
“Seizing the opportunity, the officers allegedly demanded a bribe of N2 million, which Adenola said he managed to negotiate down to N150,000.
“They made me walk across the street to withdraw the money from a POS operator and hand it to them,” Adenola lamented.
“What was supposed to be a 20-minute ride turned into a two-hour extortion session.”
To make matters worse, Adenola revealed that after handing over the money, the officers demanded a “gate fee” before allowing him to leave the station.
Following the complaint, Hundeyin stated that the Commissioner of Police had directed that the detained officers be transferred to the Command Headquarters for disciplinary procedures at the Provost Unit.
He assured that the full weight of the law would be brought upon the officers, while also confirming that the extorted money would be returned to Adenola.
The incident adds to growing concerns over police misconduct and extortion in Nigeria, particularly cases involving the profiling of young Nigerians based on their use of cryptocurrency-related applications.
Many citizens have called for stricter measures to curb the abuse of power by security operatives and ensure that victims of police extortion receive justice.
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