According to a report by the Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ), the officers returned part of the seized amount after the incident was exposed on X, but are reportedly pleading to keep N1 million and return only an additional N100,000, claiming that the rest of the money had been shared among several colleagues.
Policemen attached to the Area H Police Command in Ogudu, Lagos State, have reportedly extorted $2,000 (about N3,330,000) from a couple they wrongfully arrested on December 18, 2025.
According to a report by the Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ), the officers returned part of the seized amount after the incident was exposed on X, but are reportedly pleading to keep N1 million and return only an additional N100,000, claiming that the rest of the money had been shared among several colleagues.
Speaking to journalists, Abiodun Alabi (a pseudonym), a friend of the couple, recounted, “Sometime before 6am on December 18, 2025, the couple was travelling out of Lagos when the police stopped them.
“They profiled the man and threatened him, then they seized his phones before taking the man and his wife to Ogudu Police Station.
“There, they made the woman sit outside while they took the man inside to write an incriminating statement without his lawyer present. When it was over, the police demanded $5,000 USDT.
“What followed was an argument over how much should exchange hands. At the end of the day, the innocent man agreed under duress to pay $2,000 USDT. The police provided a wallet address, collected the sum and then deleted every trace of the transaction.
“We got a copy of it because the man did not transfer from his own wallet but had another friend transfer the money from his wallet.”
On the day of the incident, Alabi reported the matter to the Police Complaints Response Unit (CRU), who provided him with the phone number of Olumide Jegede, the Station Officer (SO) at the Area H Command.
The FIJ journalist team contacted Jegede on December 19, 2025, and the officer invited them to the station to resolve the matter, as the couple had already continued their journey after the incident.
On December 23, 2025, Alabi and the couple visited the police station, where they formally identified the officers responsible for the extortion.
“Jegede was eating when we arrived. From the gate, the couple began identifying the people who picked them up,” Alabi told FIJ. “We saw the leader and about three other people. Jegede knew them.
“When he finished eating, he looked at me and asked why I was not smiling. He said, ‘This one that you’re coming to me with a straight face, you’re aggressive. It is like you don’t want this matter to be resolved.’
“We soon went into the matter and narrated the entire happening to him. The woman was pregnant explained how traumatising the experience was for her.
“The leader of the team that robbed them began saying he helped the couple. He said he called the couple aside that day and asked the man, ‘This money that you gave us, is it from your mind? If you had told us, it was not from your mind, we would have left you.’
“After attempting to manipulate us, they then threatened to call cybercrimes unit to investigate the man for fraud.”
Alabi stated that the victims maintained their innocence and demanded a full refund of the extorted funds.
Jegede reportedly told them that much of the money had already been distributed among several officers, and that only N2.3 million could be returned. On the day, the police were able to pay N2 million, with the remaining N300,000 to be refunded at a later date.
Partial refund by police
On Wednesday, the police returned N200,000, explaining that the team leader was unwell and the remaining N100,000 would be sent once he recovered.
When the journalist contacted the Area H Police head, Mr. Olumide Jegede, on Saturday, he declined to comment at the time but invited the reporter to visit his office on Monday for a follow-up.