Anti-graft group petitions ICPC, IGP over police extortion

Patrick Okohue, Benin City

An anti-graft group, the Nigerian Anti-Corruption Vanguard has decried the alleged wanton extortion of Nigerians by the men of the Nigeria Police Force.‎

According to the group, the economic effects of the extortion if left unchecked will not augur well for the country, saying more than N200 billion has been extorted from the public in the last six months.

National Coordinator of the group, Akin Oloye, while addressing a press conference in Benin, noted that reports of brutality and extortion by the police is negatively impacting the nation’s economy in terms of foreign direct investment, the tourism sector and rating of the country on the global corruption index.

Therefore, the group issued a 48-hour ultimatum to the police to set up an investigative panel to look into the alleged wanton extortion and forceful seizure of passports, and travelling documents of many victims of police victimisation.

Oloye said that “we call on the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC), the Inspector General of Police, Abubakar Muhammed Adamu and the Human Rights Commission to investigate this injustice against Nigerians and that all perpetrators, no matter how highly placed they are in the police should be brought to book so that Nigerians home and abroad can be sure of their safety when they are in their home country.

“The attention of the Nigeria Anti-Corruption Vanguard has‎ been drawn to the wanton and incessant extortion of innocent Nigerians by the officers of the police particularly some special intervention squads.

‎”Our investigation shows that various special units created outside police state commands are used by criminal elements in the force to harass and extort money from Nigerians, high profile personalities and Nigerians living in Diaspora visiting the country.

“These acts‎ which has been ongoing for about a year now has reached its zenith and it is important that such an indecent act is discouraged and that the police authorities look into it.

“Countless number of Nigerians have been subjected to horrible treatment by the officers of the Nigerian Police claiming to be acting on tip off; most of these tips have proven to be false, but the police still demand for heavy bribes before victims are released.”