A civic group, the Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre (RULAAC) has called on the Acting Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun to probe alleged extortion in Ondo state command.
This is contained in a press statement released by Okechukwu Nwanguma, RULAAC executive director on Sunday, alleging that Mr. Ikechukwu Onu, a 49-year-old shop owner in Sagamu, Ogun State was extorted by Nigerian police officers after he was illegally detaining three years ago.
According to the statement, Ikechukwu received a phone call at around 1.50 p.m. on Sunday, August 27, 2023, and the caller informed him that he was a police officer at Akure Area Command, Ondo State Command, but did not reveal his identity.
The caller questioned Mr Ikechukwu on how he buys materials, and he said that he only buys materials from firms. The policeman said they arrested some men who told them they sold products to him, and that he owed them N25 million.
The statement reads: “That the officer mentioned one Kazeem Arigbagbo as one of the suspects they arrested, who confessed that they robbed and killed somebody and that they (police officers) killed one of the 'robbers'.
“That the officer asked him to report at Area Command, Akure on Monday, August 28, 2023.
“That he could not make any sense of what the officer told him and immediately informed his lawyer who called the officer, and after the officer repeated the story to the lawyer, he (the lawyer) asked the officer to send a formal invitation to his client. The officer later called him back and threatened him.
“That he recalls that about 3 years ago, this same Kazeem Arigbagbo was serving terms at Sagamu prisons, and while in prison, the said Kazeem called him and asked him to come and settle him. He asked him 'settle you for what'? And Kazeem simply threatened that he would 'sell his case to SARS'.
“That he knew Kazeem in Sagamu having once bought some goods from him 2 years before he was arrested and sent to prison and there was no issue between them over the transaction.
“That he immediately informed his lawyer who then went to meet Kazeem in prison and inquired from him what the problem was.
“That the lawyer asked Kazeem if the issue about which he was asking Ikechukwu to settle him was connected to the offense that brought him to prison, and he answered in the negative but simply said Ikechukwu should come and see him and pay him N300,000 or he will 'sell his case to SARS '. He didn't say what the settlement was about. The lawyer left.
“That he suspected that being in prison, Kazeem may have needed money for his family and decided to resort to blackmail.
“That days later, some police officers from SARS Magbom, Abeokuta came and arrested him, along with his Personal Assistant, one Nonso Ezedigwe.
“That the officers took them, along with his new Toyota Corolla, to SARS Magbom, Abeokuta and detained them.
“That he and his PA remained in custody without being told what their offense was and without any statement obtained from them until a friend of his came to the station from Sagamu and the officers demanded N1 million for bail.
“That the police gave the condition that the money must be paid into the account of his friend who would then hand them the money in cash. That they were released as soon the transaction was made. No statement was obtained from him.
“That since after this incident about 3 years ago, he has never set his eyes on Kazeem again until this call today from the officer inviting him to report at Akure from Sagamu. Sagamu is under Ogun Command and he's being invited via phone report at Ondo Command, outside jurisdiction.
“That incidentally, Truecaller revealed the name of the police officer who called but refused to disclose his name, as 'Ojo Elewaran'. He recalled that the place they were taken to 3 years ago when he was arrested at the instigation of the same Kazeem and released after N1 million was obtained from him is within Elewaran. The same Kazeem is involved again this time.”
RULAAC, therefore, asked Egbetokun to consider “if, as the police officer claimed, the alleged crime for which they called and invited Mr. Ikechukwu to report at Akure Area Command involved buying goods from alleged armed robbery suspects, would Mr. Ikechukwu be invited via a phone call? Is phone call a proper or official means of police invitation?”
The group’s statement continued: “Should the officers from Ondo not go through the Ogun Command to invite Mr. Ikechukwu?
“Mr. Ikechukwu suspects that this is another attempt to intimidate him by arresting and detaining him over a trumped-up allegation in order to extort money from him again.
“When RULAAC called the number, the officer who answered asked for time to talk to his superior officer. Moments later, the officer called back and asked the RULAAC official to speak with a suspect who claimed that Mr. Ikechukwu cheated him. No mention was made of buying goods from suspected robbers.
“RULAAC strongly suspects that this is a case of an attempt by a police extortion ring which specializes in framing up innocent citizens with trumped-up criminal allegations, arrest, detain and extort money from them.
“RULAAC requests the IGP to order investigation with a view to unravelling and decisively dealing with these suspected criminal elements in the police denting the image of the Force.”