Their arrest followed a report by SaharaReporters on Tuesday, which detailed how the law enforcement officials blackmailed and criminally forced Jamiu to part with the large sum of money by accusing him of being a cultist and Internet fraudster.
The Lagos State Police Command has arrested some rogue policemen, who extorted N715,000 from one Kareem Damilari Jamiu on Monday.
Their arrest followed a report by SaharaReporters on Tuesday, which detailed how the law enforcement officials blackmailed and criminally forced Jamiu to part with the large sum of money by accusing him of being a cultist and Internet fraudster.
Spokesperson for the police in Lagos, Bala Elkana, confirmed to SaharaReporters on Wednesday that five policemen have now been arrested and are now in custody in connection with the incident. [story_link align="left"]76135[/story_link]
Elkana said, “We have arrested the policemen and they are now in custody. We are trying to retrieve the fund.”
Speaking further, he said the policemen would face disciplinary panel for proper investigation into the matter.
Executive Director, Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre, Okechukwu Nwanguma, commended the police for the swift response over the matter.
He said, “It is great that the Lagos State Police Command has by its prompt response to the complaint, demonstrated its non-tolerance for police corruption and abuse as well as determination to fish out and deal with criminals in the police.”
Jamiu, who lives in Sagamu, Ogun State, was arrested on Monday by the policemen, who later took him to a school instead of a police station.
They threatened not to release him until he cooperated and bailed himself.
The policemen initially demanded N105,000 as bail and after paying the requested sum, they demanded that they see his bank account balance, after which, they demanded more money.
They later drove him to Ikeja, somewhere opposite the Police Headquarters, where they forced him to release his ATM card and disclose his PIN which they to withdraw additional N610,000 through a Point Of Sale machine.