TheNewsGuru

Tag: extortion

  • ‘Any policeman holding a gun to extort people not different from armed robber’ – IGP

    ‘Any policeman holding a gun to extort people not different from armed robber’ – IGP

    The Inspector-General of Police (IG), Mr Usman Baba, has described police personnel holding a gun to extort citizens as armed robbers

    The IG warned personnel in the country against extortion and other acts of indiscipline.

    TheNewsGuru reports that Baba gave the warning while addressing policemen on Wednesday at Police Headquarters in Gombe.

    He said discipline and professionalism were the bedrock of policing, as such the service would not condone any act of corruption and indiscipline.

    The IG, therefore, told the police personnel to live up to expectations or lose their jobs.

    Baba described extortion as a criminal offence, adding that “it’s serious and next to armed robbery, and such act have no place in the police.”

    The IG said he dismissed three policemen for irresponsible behaviors in the last three weeks.

    “Any policeman holding a gun and extorting people on the road is no different from armed robber and we cannot be having glorified armed robbers,” he warned.

    The IG, however, commended police personnel working hard to ensure security in the state and the country as a whole.

    He urged them to strengthen inter-agency cooperation, including collaboration with traditional and community leaders, to enhance security and peace across the country.

    The police boss directed the Gombe State Command to ensure the training and re-training of all personnel to keep them professionally fit to serve the nation better.

    The IG was in the state for a three-day Security and Peace Summit convened by the state government to improve security in the state.

  • JAMB warns CBT centres against extortion

    JAMB warns CBT centres against extortion

    JAMB warned on Monday that operators of accredited Computer Based Tests (CBT) centres must desist from extorting candidates or face severe sanctions.

    It stated in its weekly bulletin that its attention had been drawn to reports that some operators charged higher than the N700 fee stipulated for services rendered to candidates.

    It reiterated that it would not condone any form of exploitation and would impose a N100,000 fine on culprits after they had been made to refund money collected.

    “Centre owners are warned that failure to desist from the nefarious act would attract a fine of N100, 000 and possible revocation of licence issued by JAMB.

    “Candidates are advised to report any CBT centre charging above the board’s stipulated fee for any of its services,’’ it stated.

    The board also stated the hope that centres it granted licence to perform certain functions would behave up to expectation.

    In February, JAMB accredited CBT centres to register candidates, applying for part-time studies, Sandwich programmes, National Open University of Nigeria programmes, and distance learning programmes.

    JAMB stated that the licencing, at the request of the CBT centres, was a measure to decongest its offices nationwide, following usually crowded exercises during the process.

  • Policemen arrested for extorting man N300,000 summoned to Abuja for possible sanction

    The four policemen, who allegedly extorted a man, Uche Anthony, of N300,000 on Wednesday in Lagos, have been arrested and summoned to Abuja for proper investigation and possible sanction.

    Policemen
    Force Public Relations Officer (FPRO) of the Nigeria Police Force, Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP) Olumuyiwa Adejobi

     

    This was disclosed by the 25th indigenous Force Public Relations Officer (FPRO) of the Nigeria Police Force, Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP) Olumuyiwa Adejobi.

     

    According to the victim, the policemen cocked their guns and forced him to an Automated Teller Machine (ATM) along Mobolaji Bank Anthony Way, Ikeja, to withdraw N280,000, which they added to the N20,000 cash he had on him and took with them.

     

    Anthony, who took to social media to lament his ordeal with the policemen, said his only offence was having finance technology (fintech) apps on his phone and foreign numbers in his contact.

     

    He wrote: “I just got accosted by the police and I was extorted of N300,000 in Lagos. Simply because I have Binance and Trust wallet on my phone. I use an iPhone13 pro max and I am in a lot of crypto groups and I am talking to foreign numbers who happen to be my uncles and cousins abroad.

     

    “They (policemen) seized my phone and won’t let me even explain. For the first time in my life someone cocked a gun at me and said I should enter the car. I’m still in the trauma of the experience. I could quickly pick up the name of one of the police officers.

     

    “They (policemen) insisted I must pay them more than half of what is in my account. They (policemen) went to my message inbox and saw my GTB balance. I said I wasn’t paying a dime and they (policemen) said I’ll sleep in the cell and no one will know because they were with my phone.

     

    “I was so scared of my life as I have read stories of people shot dead and abandoned somewhere. They (policemen) drove me about for hours and we started negotiating. They (policemen) said N500,000or nothing. Omo, I started thinking that these guys might just kill me and I don’t want to trend with the hashtag #justiceforuche.

     

    “They (policemen) drove me to a bank in Maryland and asked me to go and withdraw cash. All the while they had my phone so I could not make any recording or take any pictures.

     

    “They (policemen) took the money from me and destroyed the withdrawal receipt. They (policemen) had me order a bolt driver before letting me go.”

     

    Anthony’s cry for help attracted the attention of the Force Police Public Relations Officer (FPPRO), CSP Muyiwa Adejobi who contacted the Lagos command and demanded an investigation into the claims.

     

    A few days later, Adejobi through his Twitter handle confirmed that the policemen responsible for the extortion had been identified and arrested.

     

    “He reported and we have identified them in Ikeja Area F. We have summoned them with their team leader to Abuja for proper investigation and possible sanction,” he said.

     

    Meanwhile, the policeman caught singing and dancing to a cult song in a viral Tiktok video, Isaac Matthew, has been demoted from the rank of corporal to constable.

     

    Force spokesman CSP Olumuyiwa Adejobi said in a statement that the demotion followed the outcome of an Orderly Room trial of the offender and a review of the recommended punishment for the offences of discreditable conduct, promoting secret cults as well as the violation of the social media policy of the Nigeria Police Force.

     

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) recalls that Matthew, who was attached to the Ebonyi State Police Command, was seen in a viral Tiktok video on May 7 dressed in full police uniform, singing, dancing, and brandishing an AK-47 rifle in praise of a secret confraternity.

  • Nigerian collects passport two weeks after calling out NIS for delay, extortion

    A Nigerian man Fagemi Remi, unable to pay for his tuition abroad due to delays with getting his passport renewed, has now collected his travel document barely two weeks after he called out the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) FESTAC branch office for exceeding the average three weeks processing time for passport renewals/reissue.

    Remi had applied online for his expired passport to be renewed and was captured on 17th February 2022 at the NIS FESTAC office in Lagos. Since then, efforts to collect the passport were unsuccessful, forcing him to call out the office on twitter on the 13th of May.

    Providing an update on the situation on Wednesday 1st June, Remi said: “Although, I couldn’t meet up with a lot of deadlines, wasted time and money but in all thanks to @MinOfInteriorNG @raufaregbesola and the @nigimmigration for their intervention. I collected my passport yesterday 31st of May.”

    “We would keep hope alive and continue pushing,” he added.

    The NIS inability to meet its average processing time deadlines of six and three weeks for first time applications and renewals respectively, has ranged from shortage in passport booklets, to the backlog caused by the coronavirus lockdown and now recently, to challenges posed by linkage with the National Identity Management System (NIMC).

    In addition, some NIS officials and agents have continued to fleece Nigerians, charging well above the official prices for both the 32-page and 64-page document.

    For instance, while the official price for a 64-page Nigerian passport with 5 and 10 years validity period is N35, 000 and N70,000 respectively, applicants are charged between N100, 000 – N200, 000.

    Similarly, while the new 32-page passport with a five-year validity period is officially N25,000, applicants for are charged between N40, 000 – N70, 000.

    Remi told TNG that he paid N55, 000 for the renewal of his 32-page passport which is valid for five years.

    The minister of Interior Rauf Aregbesola, had announced that under the new regime of passport processing and issuance which became effective June 1, 2021, applicants would have no basis for further communication with officials, upon the completion of their application process.

    Aregbesola added that “special centres” would be established on a public-private partnership basis for expedited passport services. He said these centres would have nationwide spread.

    However, this newspaper observed that passport processing remained largely the same and is characterized by delays and extortion at NIS offices particularly in Lagos and Abuja, as well as other branches across the country.

    Passport applicants who do not have their National Identity Cards, cannot proceed for capturing and are compelled to part with more money to fast-track the process.

     

  • Passport issuance: Nigerians lament extortion at immigration offices, task govt on tackling fraud

    Passport issuance: Nigerians lament extortion at immigration offices, task govt on tackling fraud

    The Federal Government has been asked to take punitive action against officials of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) fingered in the extortion of passport applicants at various immigration offices nationwide.

    The calls were made during a radio discussion of an investigative report by Daily Trust, which exposed how Immigration officers in Lagos and Oyo states run a well-coordinated chain of corruption over international passport issuance.

    The report says the officials collude with agents to compromise the established process of obtaining a passport for an agreed amount of money.

    Some staffers of the Nigeria Immigration were said to have been secretly filmed extorting passport applicants who were either impatient to follow due process or frustrated by the length of time applying for an international passport takes. The report said they (NIS officials) inflated the passport prices and helped applicants falsify necessary documents like birth certificates and state of origin.

    Political Economist and Public Development Researcher, Adefolarin Olamilekan led the call for the Federal Government to immediately tackle corruption in passport issuance during an anti-corruption radio programme, PUBLIC CONSCIENCE, produced by the Progressive Impact Organization for Community Development, PRIMORG, Wednesday in Abuja.

    Olamilekan described the development as evil and dangerous, noting that the involvement of immigration officers in the passport fraud is the height of a lack of patriotism which must be condemned.

    He urged the Acting Comptroller-General of Nigeria Immigration Service, Isah Jere Idris, Minister of Interior Rauf Aregbesola and the National Security Adviser, Mohammed Babagana Monguno, to take punitive action against immigration officials exploiting the system to defraud passport applicants in Nigeria.

    He said the ongoing corruption portends doom for the country as it encourages the falsification of sensitive documents by applicants.

    “The Minister of Interior, the Adviser to the President on National Security, is responsible for this issue because documents are being falsified, and foreigners are taking advantage of this to become Nigerians illegally. The Comptroller General of Immigration must stand out.

    “We have heard so many good things that he’s doing, but this particular issue that his men are deeply in dirty deals in processing National passports for citizenship is something that he must stand out to correct or else posterity will not remember him for good,” Olamilekan warned.

    He called on the Service and the National Orientation Agency (NOA) to enlighten Nigerians on how to legitimately obtain passports without patronizing touts while urging the federal government to harmonize citizens’ data to reduce administrative bottlenecks and corruption in public service.

    Also reacting to the fleecing of passport applicants by immigration officials and touts, an investigative journalist with Daily Trust, Peter Moses, called on the authorities to ensure NIS staff exposed in the investigation are made to face the full weight of the law.

    Moses, who stated that the unavailability of passport booklets from time to time was adding to the problem, criticized the printing of Nigerian passports outside the country’s shores.

    “Today, passport booklets that usually create all those bottlenecks for the delay are still being printed outside Nigeria. My advice is that the federal government should first find a way of printing booklets in Nigeria, which I believe is one of the key steps to stopping all these corrupt practices. “Online application should be made to work. Moses recommended that physical interaction between NIS officials and passport applicants should be limited,” Moses recommended.

    Some citizens who called in during the radio programme from Abuja, the nation’s capital, said the extortion of passport applicants by immigration officials was happening in other states of the federation.

    They had these experiences to share:

    Paul said, “The corruption issue in NIS is not only in Lagos and Oyo states. It also happens in Abuja. Years back, I visited the immigration office in Gwagwalada, Abuja. They told me passport booklets were not available until I met a God-fearing lady who came to my rescue.”

    Charlie: “I wasn’t aware of the official price. I went to the immigration office but ended up falling into the hands of a third party and spent N35,000 in the process.”

    Sanni: “Some weeks back, I went to the Headquarters office of immigration in Abuja. I wanted to get my passport, someone told me to pay N50,000 for a passport booklet, but I didn’t have the money. I walked round and round. I found out that there was nothing I could do. So I ended up paying N45,000 for it.”

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

    The program has the support of the MacArthur Foundation.

  • Gov. Umahi suspends permanent secretary over extortion

    Gov. Umahi suspends permanent secretary over extortion

    Gov. David Umahi of Ebonyi has suspended the Permanent Secretary, Office of the Head of Service, Mr Martin Uguru, indefinitely for extortion of civil servants.

    The suspension which took effect from April 1, 2022, is contained in a statement issued in Abakaliki on Friday by the Principal Secretary to the governor, Chief Emmanuel Obasi.

    Obasi stated that Gov. Umahi condemned the collection of kickback from recently promoted civil servants in which the permanent secretary was found complicit.

    “The money demanded by civil servants in charge of the process, was for the typing and collection of the document containing details of the promotion, they claimed.

    “The governor directed the Secretary to the State Government to issue the letter of indefinite suspension to the permanent secretary for his complicity in the scam.

    “All heads of administration and persons involved in this exploitation are to forfeit one month’s salary each.

    “The concerned heads of administration are hereby directed to fully refund all monies collected from the newly-promoted civil servants.

    “The refund should be paid directly to their bank accounts and such officials should submit the bank tellers to the Principal Secretary to the governor within 48 hours.

    “Failure to comply with this directive attracts dismissal from the state civil service,’’ the statement read.

    The statement observed that if there were requirements to process relevant promotion documents as claimed, such requirements should be brought to the notice of the state governor by the Office of the Head of service.

    “That is the proper thing to do rather than resorting to exploitation of the newly-promoted civil servants,’’ the statement read.

    Gov. Umahi also directed the posting of the Permanent Secretary in charge of the state’s Universal Basic Education Board (UBEB) to the Office of Head of Service in acting capacity.

    “The concerned official will still be in charge of UBEB.

    “The permanent secretary, Ministry of Trade and Investment is posted to the Ministry of Business Development with immediate effect,’’ Obasi stated.

  • Truck drivers block border between Taraba and Benue states

    Truck drivers block border between Taraba and Benue states

    The border between Taraba and Benue states on Monday were blocked by truck drivers following illegal extortion and illegal checkpoints by security operatives on transported food items and passengers.

    Chairman of the truck drivers, Wukari Branch, Wunuken Hosea, explained that the extortion on the Benue axis of the boundary is contributing to the high cost of grains across the country.

    In his words: “Despite dialogues with security operatives and revenue collectors on agricultural produce, the trend has continued unabated with a huge increase in the amount demanded from us.”

    Hosea pointed out that there is no going back on the blockade until the relevant authorities address their challenges.

    The protest resulted in gridlock on the Taraba and Benue boundary which leads to the South-Eastern and western parts of Nigeria.

    It was gathered that this is not the first time that truck drivers are embarking on such protest at the same spot with little or no effort to address their plights.

  • Four FCT police officers detained for extortion

    Four FCT police officers detained for extortion

    Four police personnel have been arrested for allegedly extorting money from a commuter in Abuja.

    The officers, who were on traffic duty along Area 11, were seen in a viral video clip collecting money from the commuter, whose identity could not be determined.

    The Federal Capital Territory Police Public Relations Officer, Josephine Adeh, in a statement on Wednesday, said the FCT Commissioner of Police, Sunday Babaji, had ordered the immediate arrest and investigation of the officers in the clip.

    The statement said, “The command wishes to call on anyone who has a way of reaching out to the young man in the video to avail the command of his contact details or relay a message of invitation to the public relations officer of the command.

    “The CP, who received the news with grave bewilderment, described the attitude of the officers as discreditable conduct, an act unbecoming of a police officer and a total deviation from the core values of uprightness expected of a police officer.

    “The CP also stated that the act is unacceptable and will not be condoned in the command as hesitation will not be made in the administration of a commensurate disciplinary action.”

    The arrest of the four cops is coming two days after the police authorities ordered a probe into the alleged professional misdemeanors, abuse of office and extortion of N22m worth of Bitcoin from two men by some policemen in Lagos State.

     

  • Nigerian show promoter alleges extortion, demands N28m refund from Burna Boy, mom

    Nigerian show promoter alleges extortion, demands N28m refund from Burna Boy, mom

    A United States-based promoter Emmanuel Chinyere Uzoh, the owner of Gold Moola Entertainment, has slammed Burna Boy and his mum Bosu Ogulu over alleged extortion and is demanding N28m ($50,000).

    TheNewsGuru reports that Uzoh took to his company’s official Instagram account [@goldmoola] on Tuesday, November 2, 2021 to call out Grammy-winning Nigerian superstar, Burna Boy and his mom, Bose Ogulu – who also serves as his manager.

    In his five-page story, Uzoh alleges that the singer collected a total of $50,000 from him, to perform at a show slated for October 30, 2021, in Houston, Texas, US, but never showed up. He also accuses Burna Boy’s mom of extorting $10,000 from him.

    Uzoh wrote, “@Burnaboygram and @thenamix. Bose Ogulu attempted to extort me form $10k. After the agreed sum was paid in full, she proceeded to ask for an additional $10k.

    “The deposit was paid on October 7th in Los Angeles, that was when he posted this cancelled flyer. After the balance was paid in full, he posted and confirmed his attendance. That’s when Bose told me that I had to pay another $10k before he comes downstairs.

    “I realized that I was being extorted. At that point, I no longer wanted to move forward with the deal. This was around 1:10am. He was set to arrive at the club at 12:45am. Once I requested a refund of the $15,000 that was paid that night,

    “When I realized what was happening, I decided to pull from the show completely. I asked for the $15k balance that was paid on the night and they refused to return the money.

    “After hours of negotiations in the hotel lobby, the entire team snuck out of the hotel through the back exit to avoid us.

    “These are just the primary details of what happened on the 31st of October in Houston, Texas. Because I didn’t fall for the demands of extortion, I was robbed of over $50,000 and my name was left to be slandered in the city I love. We will allow the law to finish what they started. I pride myself on being a stand up guy, especially in the entertainment industry.

    “My only demand at this point is a refund. You were paid for a service that you didn’t complete. Be a stand up guy and kindly return my money @burnaboygram.”

    TheNewsGuru recalls that days back, Burna Boy performed 33 songs in two hours at the Hollywood Bowl, Nigeria’s first arena show in the US.

     

  • FG tasked to urgently address extortion of NIN applicants as public outcry mounts

    FG tasked to urgently address extortion of NIN applicants as public outcry mounts

    The National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) and Federal Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy (FMoCDE) have been tasked to urgently address the massive report of extortion of National Identification Number (NIN) applicants following a sustained outcry of citizens.

    Public Affairs Analyst, Majeed Dahiru gave the charge during an anti-corruption radio program, PUBLIC CONSCIENCE on RADIO, produced by the Progressive Impact Organization for Community Development, PRIMORG, on Wednesday in Abuja.

    Nigerians on two episodes of Public Conscience on Radio have raised alarm over incessant extortion by NIMC officials in the last four weeks and it will be recalled that a recent investigation by the NewsGuru Newspapers indicted NIMC staff and officers of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) of colluding to rip-off NIN applications at enrollment center located inside the premises of NIS Headquarters.

    Dahiru who stated that the extortion of citizens at the NIN enrolment center was not surprising, stressed that considering the insecurity in Nigeria currently – the government was expected to have put in place emergency measures against NIMC officials perpetrating fraud against Nigerians.

    He asked those at the helm of affairs at NIMC and the Federal Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy to kill all forms of corruption going on in NIN registration across the country. While underscoring the importance of accurate data in the planning and development of Nigeria, he said that corruption is undermining the process of NIN registration and linkage to SIM cards.

    Dahiru commended PRIMORG for bringing such a corruption report that is massively affecting Nigerians to the fore and urged NIMC to take advantage of PRIMORG’s collaboration to curb the extortion menace.

    His words: “Extortion of citizens is a huge compromise on our national security. And I had expected an emergency measure to curb this menace, it is a menace, we may not know the full implications today until a little later when the negative impact of this issue begins to manifest in our national security negatively.

    “It has national security implications for Nigeria. We are talking about National Identity, sim card registration, obtaining a Nigerian passport. Now if the officials involved are only after money, it means anybody can come into Nigeria through any of our porous borders, play the necessary game, and obtain anything that makes and certifies him as a Nigerian citizen.”

    According to Dahiru, corrupt practices like nepotism, sectionalism, and cronyism are some of Nigeria’s biggest albatross in fighting corruption and stress the need for the country to be reconfigured or restructured away from its current situation to become a modern nation of citizens that can compete globally.

    He called on citizens to get involved in nation-building, interrogate the actions of the leaders and ensure they are part of the process of recruiting political leaders in 2023.

    Earlier on the program, there was a barrage of complaints of extortion among other issues by Nigerians who phoned in from Abuja, the nation’s capital; Nasarawa, Niger and Plateau states. They disclosed their frustration over extortion at NIN enrollment centers they visited and when trying to update other information.

    PRIMORG, however, restated its resolve to follow up on the complaints of Nigerians and partner with the management of NIMC to see that extortion of NIN registrants and other issues are addressed.

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

    The program is supported by the MacArthur Foundation.