Police recover over N31M from four officers who extorted a civilian

The Nigerian Police Force (NPF) has recovered over N31 million from four officers accused of unlawfully arresting and extorting a civilian.

This was confirmed by the Force Public Relations Officer, who also denied allegations that the Inspector General of Police (IGP) was shielding a cartel involved in smuggling suspicious new Naira notes into circulation.

The incident, which occurred on August 26, 2023, at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, involved Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Peter Ejike, Inspector Ekeinde Edwin, Inspector Esther Okafor, and Sergeant Talabi Kayode, all attached to Zone 7, Abuja.

The officers, led by Inspector Okafor and acting on DSP Ejike’s instructions, unlawfully arrested Andrew Ejah, an employee of Fatfad Cargo Nigeria Limited, who was transporting N74,950,000 on behalf of his clients. They detained him at Zone 7 headquarters in Abuja and misrepresented the recovered amount as N31,790,000.

The officers allegedly demanded a percentage of the funds to suppress the case. When contacted by the money’s owners, the officers repeated their claim that only N31,790,000 had been recovered and requested a cut to compromise the investigation.

Outraged by this, the money’s owners petitioned the Force Headquarters in Abuja, prompting the IGP Monitoring Unit to launch an investigation. The probe led to the recovery of N31,790,000 from the officers, but suspicions remain regarding the actual amount recovered from Mr. Ejah.

The officers have been sanctioned, and the case underscores ongoing efforts to combat corruption within the police force. The NPF assured the public of its commitment to transparency and accountability in handling similar cases.