Policemen detained for extorting fees from student

The Oyo State Police Command has confirmed the arrest of five policemen over the extortion of a student, identified simply as Ibrahim, along the RCC, Old Ogbomoso Road, Oyo State.

The state Police Public Relations Officer, Adewale Osifeso, who confirmed the development to our correspondent on Wednesday, said investigation was ongoing.

He said, “We have arrested and detained five policemen and we are waiting for Ibrahim to come and identify the policemen that allegedly did what he said they did to him out of those detained, and for him to also help us initiate the prosecution procedure against those guys through an orderly room trial.

“The money extorted from him has been recovered; we traced the operator and the endpoint of the account where the money was lodged. All that happened today.”

PUNCH Metro gathered that the student was on his way to Lagos when the accused policemen accosted him.

The student alleged that the policemen, after stopping the vehicle he boarded, told him to disembark from it and allowed other passengers to continue the journey.

After disembarking, Ibrahim, in a post shared by an activist, Rinu Oduala, on Twitter, said the policemen took him to a bush where they extorted N90,000 from him.

In the post, the student said the money was his school fees, adding that he paid the policemen the money through a Point-of-Sale operator.

He also alleged that several attempts to contact the spokesperson for the command, Osifeso, and the Commissioner of Police, Adebowale Williams, proved abortive.

The post read, “People help me, I was extorted illegally yesterday on my way coming to Lagos and was calling the police pro and commissioner, all picked and kept saying wrong number. But I called a former pro, he said it is their number and that is how they do.

“Please ma, help me, this is my school fees as a sum of 90k out of 93k found in my account. I pray you see this so I can explain how it happened. Was driven to the bush and threatened. Please save me. I pray you see this.

“The most painful part (is that) I told them this is my school fees and they extorted N90k out of the N93k in my accounts. Was just driven to the bush, they told the other passenger they are taking me to the office but I will join them at the popular Amala joint in Oyo that they should wait for me.

“On our way, they passed different routes and in their car, they kept telling me I should call anyone I know to send me money. I told them no one, it’s kinda hard this time, immediately, one of them collected my phone and told me to open my bank (app) and I did.

“And was taken to PoS which I think it’s their PoS cause when I sent the money, they did not receive (an) alert. Once I told him nah awodi police, he said haa, eyini and he gave me the cash immediately. I can send you the driver’s number to confirm these people have no mercy. (I) was pleading, crying in their car. Still, they extorted me. They left 3k for me.”

(Punch)