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Tag: extortion

  • Police probe DPO accused of extortion

    Police probe DPO accused of extortion

    The Police Command in Ondo State has begun investigation into the allegation of extortion levelled against the Divisional Police Officer(DPO) in-charge of Igbara-Oke in Ifedore Local Government Area of the state, Ganiyu Dauda.

    The residents of the community on Friday protested against alleged extortion by the DPO and operatives in the division.

    The protesters who were carrying leaflets, blocked the main road leading to the community to show their grievances.

    Speaking with NAN on Saturday in Akure, the spokesperson for the command, DSP Olushola Ayanlade, said that investigation has commenced on the allegation of extortion levelled against the DPO.

    Ayanlade urged anybody with useful information on the allegation of extortion against the DPO to make it available to the command.

    ”The command has launched an investigation into the details of the event and the alleged extortion.

    “Although nobody has come forward to lay any report concerning the allegation against the DPO. Anybody that has concrete evidence against the DPO or any of our men, should please come forward with the fact.

    “And we will let the public know the outcome of our investigation.

    “We urge the people of the state to remain law abiding ,” he said.

    He attributed the event leading to the protest to a misunderstanding between some members of the driver’s union and some policemen over the towing of an accident vehicle into the premises of Igbara-Oke Divisional Police station.

    Ayanlade explained that the issue was eventually resolved by the chairman of the local government.

  • Extortion: Nigerians alert IGP Egbetokun over rising cases

    Extortion: Nigerians alert IGP Egbetokun over rising cases

    The Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, has been urged to do more about the rising cases of extortion involving personnel of the Nigeria Police Force, as well as urgently address flaws in the recruitment process.

    The call for the police authorities to take urgent action follows a recent investigative report in Kwara state published with support from the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ), exposing how several youths, motorcycle riders, and corps members face extortion daily.

    Participants raised the alarm against police extortion during an anti-corruption radio program, PUBLIC CONSCIENCE, produced by the Progressive Impact Organization for Community Development, PRIMORG, on Wednesday in Abuja.

    Security expert and public good advocate Prince Kevin Fyneface said the problem of police extortion is an age-long problem rooted in systemic corruption, including flawed recruitment processes, nepotism, and poor welfare packages for the personnel.

    Fyneface advised that the Nigeria Police Force and the Federal Government must first get it right with the recruitment and welfare of officers.

    He added that systems must be set up to profile people who are to be recruited into the force without prejudice and nepotism.

    “The Police Service Commission responsible for recruitment gets to the right people at the right time. Let’s get away with this slot allocation that we give for recruitment and allow for merit-based recruitment to take place across the board. Remuneration should be reconsidered. Security officers and men should earn as much as politicians are earning”.

    Fyneface noted that the reason police extortion continues to thrive is because the “people are not empowered to fight for their rights; the justice system difficult to access in terms of getting timely justice and a lot of citizens unaware of where to report cases of extortion and harassment.

    “We have a major problem when it comes to the recruitment process of policemen and women in Nigeria. Take your time and go through the recruitment process of police and major security agencies, and then you’ll understand why we have a dearth of morality and integrity.

    “Job recruitments are advertised online, but you also know you have to pay money before you get into service. Recruits are extorted right from the gate at police training camps. Someone who has sorted his or her way through will naturally have to recoup his money.

    “There is a cobweb system that runs this country. Somebody is connected to somebody who is connected to someone high up there. When disciplinary action needs to be taken on an erring officer, someone will call from one headquarters to stop that disciplinary action.

    “We cannot say all of them (police officers) are the same. There are some very good ones out there,” Fyneface explained.

    On his part, investigative journalist Ridwan Odofin called on IGP Egbetokun to go all out against officers extorting people in Kwara state and elsewhere in the country.

    Odofin advised that “regular training of personnel on ethics, human rights and community policing are essential to preventing police extortion and will promote a culture of respect.”

    He also advocated for an improved relationship between the police and communities.

    His words: “The extortion of youths in Kwara state is a representation of what is happening across the and a sign of failure of the justice system. The tales of the bitter experience of people in the hands of rogue police officers are much.

    “Sadly, some of these officers are perpetrating extortion and feel that they cannot be sanctioned. I think ignorance is taking over the situation, and I agree that there is a serious link between poor welfare of an average police officer and extortion of citizens,” Odofin disclosed.

    Some residents of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and its environs who called into the radio programme shared their experiences with police extortion and harassment at different times and locations across the country. Here are some of their ordeals:

    Mayo from Airport Road said: “In terms of extortion, I had an issue one time where the person I gave work to ran with my money, so I went to the police station. You need to pay. They will ask for a mobilization fee to go with you even though you’re driving them. Another one is this regular checkpoint because I stay at Apo. You see long queues and nothing is happening there.

    Adebayo from Gwarimpa: “The extortion is always happening. Within Abuja, they are cautious, but when you go to the outskirts like Gwagwalada and Zuba, they keep you stranded. You’ll have to give them something, and they will tell you they are reporting to someone.

    Seth from Abuja said: “I appreciate the good ones on the job. Few spoil the work. God bless those doing the right thing.

    John from Guzape: “In my experience, what we were asked for was money for files. My second told them that this money is gotten from the government”.

    The Lagos State Police Command has also revealed it has begun the trial of four police officers accused of extorting N1 million from three members of the National Youth Service Corps in the Surulere area of the state.

    Public Conscience is a syndicated weekly anti-corruption radio program PRIMORG uses to draw government and citizens’ attention to corruption and integrity issues in Nigeria.

    The program has the support of the MacArthur Foundation.

  • Ag IGP warns against extortion by patrol police

    Ag IGP warns against extortion by patrol police

    The Acting Inspector General of police, Kayode Egbetokun has expressed displeasure at the unprofessional acts of some officers along major highways in the country.

    A statement by the force says the alleged incidences of extortion, intimidation, and harassment of commuters on the highways are being looked into, and the Force is resolute in addressing these issues decisively.

    The Acting IGP has also directed all supervising officers to undertake stringent supervision of their subordinates in the field with a view to eradicating unprofessional conducts

    The Monitoring Unit and Disciplinary Units are to identify, apprehend and punish officers who engage in acts tarnishing the image of the force .

  • NPA raises alarm over increasing extortion on port access roads

    NPA raises alarm over increasing extortion on port access roads

    The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) has raised the alarm on increasing extortion along the access roads of the Lagos and Tin Can Island Port Complexes.

    Mr Mohammed Bello-Koko, Managing Director, NPA, said this in a statement in Lagos on Tuesday.

    According to Bello-Koko, this is coming on the heels of the clearance operations the authority undertook from July 16 to 18, to rid the port corridor of shanties and illegal erections.

    He added that those shanties and illegal erections harboured criminal elements who perpetrated acts of extortion.

    “On the eve of the port corridor clearance operations carried out in collaboration with Lagos State Government earlier this month, I lamented that “these acts of extortion and allied illegalities are injurious to trade facilitation, which is our core function.

    “We cannot allow these nefarious characters make nonsense of the gateways to the national economy which the ports constitute,” he said.

    Bello-Koko added that they had in the past, visited punitive measures on their staff who were complicit in such unethical practices.

    “I want to reiterate that once we are confronted with evidence of any of our staff involved in these acts of sabotage, we will sanction them in line with the public service rules.

    “Our condition of service has zero tolerance for such malfeasance,” he said.

    Bello-Koko said that whilst receiving the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Mr Idowu Owohunwa earlier this month, we enlisted the support of the police in tackling the extortion menace.

    He added that he had specifically cited that “the jurisdictional rule that restricts the powers of the Port Authority Police Command (PAPC) to the Port premises, was the reason they are calling for increased synergy between PAPC and officers of the Lagos State Police Command.

    The NPA boss had earlier met with the leadership at various levels of the Nigerian Army, Navy, Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) and the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), stressing on the pressing need to collectively nip the menace of extortion in the bud.

    NPA under Bello-Koko had completed the perimeter fencing of the Tincan Island Port to curb unauthorised access to the port premises.

    However, the sanity achieved by this measure is localised within the port, whilst majority of these illegalities happen along the port access road which is not within the NPA’s purview.

    The International Centre for Investigative Reporting (ICIR) had in March, published a video footage showing the assault those extortionists visited on trucks inbound and outbound the port corridor.

    The authority’s fact finding has identified flash points of extortion ranging from N500 to as high as N5,000 and the mode of perpetration.

    The authority solicits the collaboration of sister government agencies operating on the port corridor to sustainably tackle the menace impeding ease of doing business around the ports.

  • Passport: 80 officers on trial for extortion, 8 others dismissed – Immigration

    Passport: 80 officers on trial for extortion, 8 others dismissed – Immigration

    No fewer than 80 officers and men of the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) have gone on trial for indulging in collection of illegal fees for the issuance of new passports and renewal of old ones.

    The Service Public Relations Officer (SPRO), Comptroller of Immigration, Mr. Tony Akuneme, who disclosed this in an interview with NAN on Sunday in Abuja, also indicated that eight other officers have been dismissed from service for the same offence in the last one year.

    He said the disciplinary measures under the passport reform, was part of the three-point agenda of the present Comptroller General (CG), NIS, Isah Jere, when he came on board.

    Akuneme also said that the CG’s three-point agenda includes reform passport issuance, tightening border security and improving the welfare of NIS officers.

    According to him, Jere has done this to the best of his ability in the last one year plus, and that is what has led to most applicants booking online for passports.

    “We have tried as much as possible to eliminate third parties so that if you really want, you can process the application of your passport from the comfort of your room on your laptop, android phones and you can pay online.

    “You don’t really need anybody whether immigration officers or agents which we usually call touts. They have upgraded and become agents. They are still third parties.

    “The problem we have is the use of third parties because no matter how much reform you put in, you will always see a learned and civilised person using a third party to process his or her application.

    “And one thing they don’t understand is that third parties don’t have an idea of the information entered into your application. This can result in somebody having issues with his/her National Identification Number (NIN),” he said.

    The NIS spokesman said that the CG has vowed to discipline officers who go out of their way to try to either engage or sabotage the reform process.

    “We have continued to punish NIS officer and men who try to assist people for a fee. You can assist people genuinely but not extorting from them.

    “We are committed to curbing corruption and other illicit acts in the service. You will appreciate the fact that if nothing else, the level of awareness has increased in the last few months.

    “Don’t patronise agents, fill your forms yourself. We have officers watching and these agents know they are being watched. When they take money from you, tell us. If we don’t take action, tell the world,” he said.

  • Lagos CP removes DPO over alleged extortion

    Lagos CP removes DPO over alleged extortion

    Commissioner of Police in Lagos State, Mr Idowu Owohunwa, has ordered the immediate removal of the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) at Okokomaiko Division over alleged extortion of members of the public by his operatives.

    Spokesman, SP Benjamin Hundeyin confirmed the removal in a statement he issued in Lagos on Saturday.

    Hundeyin stated that the DPO was removed for his lack of supervision of his operatives.

    He added that Owohunwa directed that disciplinary action be taken against the DPO and the operatives involved in the extortion.

    He stated also that the DPO and the operatives had been summoned to the police headquarters in the state.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) gathered that the police operatives arrested a cell phone dealer, labelled him as a fraudster and forcefully collected N100,000 from him.

  • Police summon 5 officers for allegedly extorting student of N155,000

    Police summon 5 officers for allegedly extorting student of N155,000

    The Police Command in Lagos State has summoned five police officers alleged to have extorted N155,000 from a student.

    The command spokesman, SP Benjamin Hundeyin, disclosed this on Wednesday on his verified Twitter handle.

    Hundeyin said that all the officers were summoned to the state headquarters in Ikeja.

    He said those summoned included an Assistant Supretendant of Police and four Inspectors, adding that further updates will be provided on the case.

    Sanni Faruk, a Polytechnic student, had alleged that five police officers attached to Meiran Division extorted N155,000 from him on Sunday.

    He alleged that the officers forced him out of a bus at Abule-Egba while on his way to school, handcuffed and took him to Meiran police station.

    He claimed that while at the station, he was forced to transfer the money in his bank account to an OPay account before he was released.

    He said that the N155,000 taken from him was for the payment of his accommodation in school.

    The case was reported to the state police command and the culprits summoned to respond to the allegations.

  • We are investigating viral video of extortion – INEC

    We are investigating viral video of extortion – INEC

    INEC says it is currently investigating the viral video of extortion in Enugu East Local Government Area of Enugu State during the collection of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs).

    Mr Rex Achumie, Head of Department of Voter Education and Publicity in the Enugu State branch of INEC made this known on Monday in Enugu.

    The video showed a woman extorting N1,000 each from registrants who wanted to collect their PVCs.

    She said in the video that the N1,000 was to cover her transport fare and other stress she went through to get the cards to a primary school in a neighbourhood in the local government area.

    Achumie said the woman in question is not a staff or ad-hoc staff of INEC.

    According to him, none of the people in the video is INEC employee.

    “INEC wants to unravel how the cards got into the hands of the unscrupulous woman in the first place.

    “We are looking at getting the Electoral Officer in charge of the area to liaise with his staff to know who actually gave the woman the cards,’’ he said.

    Achumie assured that INEC would get a clearer picture of the whole episode by Tuesday as well as “where and whom the woman in question is working for’’.

  • Alleged extortion: LASTMA summons 3 officials

    Alleged extortion: LASTMA summons 3 officials

    The Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) has summoned three officers before investigation panel over the alleged extortion of drivers.

    The General Manager, LASTMA, Mr Bolaji Oreagba, said this in a statement through the Public Affairs Unit of LASTMA in Lagos on Sunday.

    Oreagba said that the agency had summoned all officials mentioned in the matter to appear before a seven-man investigation panel set up to look thoroughly into those allegations as published.

    LASTMA was  reacting to an allegation against LASTMA officials that they clamped down on motorists with trumped-up charges.

    The officials of the agency were accused of collecting sums of N13, 000, N15, 000 and N20, 000 from different commercial bus drivers in Lagos.

    Oreagba stated further that all evidence contained in the allegation would be thoroughly scrutinised by the panel.

    He said that any official found culpable would face the consequences under the extant rule of the State Civil Service as specified.

    “We have set up a seven-man investigation panel to thoroughly look into those alleged extortions levelled against some of our officials.

    ” I assure the public that the outcome of the panel would be made public.

    “We have it on record that some of our officials alleged to be found wanting for official misconduct or unethical behaviour recently are currently facing disciplinary panel.

    “The management would not condone any act of indiscipline from any official,” Oreagba said.

    He  encouraged members of the public to always come forward with their complaints with evidence against any misbehaved officials via the Agency ‘Complaint hotlines:(08100565860/08174722227/08129928597).

    The general manager, however, pointed out that there were many LASTMA officials that were dedicated, conscientious and professional in carrying out their official functions.

    He said this was  observed during the LASTMA connect programme on Traffic Radio with many Lagosians acknowledging the good work of traffic control personnel.

    The LASTMA boss advised road users in Lagos to obey the traffic regulations so as not to run foul of the law.

    Oreagba  stressed that some violators were fond of offering traffic personnel bribes to avoid prosecution without realising that the law frowned on both the giver and the taker.

    He added that any motorists with genuine complaints or reports should equally reach out to LASTMA via the Agency’s various social media channels (Instagram- ekolastma), (Twitter- @followlastma), (email –info@lastmalagos.com), (Facebook -ekolastma) and (YouTube – LastmaTV).

  • Paul Pogba’s brother, Mathias exposes Juve star from prison

    Paul Pogba’s brother, Mathias exposes Juve star from prison

    Mathias Pogba, the older brother of Juventus star, Paul Pogba has returned to social media to launch a series of stunning accusations at the French international.

    Mathias was arrested last week, along with four others, as part of an investigation into alleged extortion of his younger brother, who left Manchester United for Juve this summer.

    He has now posted a lengthy video on social media this morning while in custody:

    “If you have been reading it means that my other bot worked. Be honest with each other and banish hypocrisy so as not to experience the same tragedy. Now, here are some of the long-awaited revelations, which I hope will shed new light and lead you to understand why there is so much determination to shut me up and discredit me because what I have to say is not limited to (Kylian) Mbappé.

    “But do not do this at the expense of several innocent families who risk being destroyed by a spoiled little prince, selfish, hypocritical and full of himself. Because doing so, sooner or later, will obscure and eclipse that radiance. Protect the image of France, the French team, the French world champions and to want the world championship is completely normal, because the influence for France will be immense.

    “He is someone willing to use the stories of real victims to portray himself as a victim. A person ready to trample everything and everyone, his family, his pleasure, his image and his success. Those who really want to understand, just try to put themselves in my shoes considering that everything I say is true. Take the time to listen all I have to say, so you might understand what a deeply unhealthy being you are dealing with.

    “It got to the point that Kylian was about to make his next PSG contract conditional on Paul going to play there. And meanwhile, behind him, Paul was doing witchcraft to sabotage these games. The same sorcerer said that he had to stop the witchcraft he was doing with Kylian at the risk of destroying his career, knowing that he had been paid for the work.”

    Mathias also stated in a series of videos posted today:

    “Many will be shocked and will have a hard time believing it, but it’s the truth. That’s why our family and loved ones are in danger today. My brother […] has always had criminals and delinquents around him and continues to do so today. […] The problem is that he used those relationships and their names to protect themselves on the street and do business with them to do things and shed blood for him. I was not aware of that until he betrayed his henchmen and fled without telling anyone, leaving me and our mother to our fate, leaving his family and those close to him to become the target of these bandits.”

    But Mathias Pogba does not stop there: “Some of our relatives had already been attacked and shot because of him. The only reason we did not turn to the authorities was for fear of reprisals, since we had no way of protecting ourselves [. ..] I had to blame Paul for his behavior before deigning to keep our mother out of harm’s way by taking care of her and abandoning the others.

    “Of course, he makes her live alone without any protection, while he is quiet in his fortress behind his bodyguards. Also, it wasn’t free. My mother had to side with him and plead on his behalf. Which she unfortunately accepted.”