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The Lagos State Police Command has opened an investigation into allegations that officers from the Onikan Police Station Tactical Squad attempted to extort N3 million from a Lagos State resident at gunpoint.
The complainant, identified on X (formerly Twitter) as Boluwatife (@Tife_badass), said the incident occurred around 1 a.m. on Thursday while he and a friend were driving from Lekki to Victoria Island for an artiste’s event.
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In a series of posts, Mr Boluwatife alleged that about five armed officers stopped him near the Lekki–Ikoyi Link Bridge roundabout, cocked their rifles, dragged him from the driver’s seat, and accused him of killing policemen in Lekki.
He said the officers handcuffed him, forced him and his friend into a police Hilux van, and drove his car to the station.
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At Onikan station, he claimed, they ordered him to remove his shirt, shoes, and socks in preparation for detention, searched his car and documents, but found nothing.
“Fast forward 2 hours later, they were asking for 3 million naira😂😂, told them I wasn’t going to give them anything, then after about another 2 hours they settled for 500k, gave me my phone back so I used that to alert my people. Thank God I was able to reach out for rescue,” he alleged.
He said they threatened to frame him as a fraudster and cultist when he refused to pay, but he managed to contact acquaintances for help, leading to his release.
“I’m not even shaken, but what of the common man that has nobody? There’s nothing they didn’t say to me. Even after explaining my background, they even threatened to shoot me multiple times. 10 police officers threatening you for no reason is just wild!” he wrote.
Police react
Reacting to the claims on Thursday, Lagos Police spokesperson Benjamin Hundeyin tweeted that the police leadership in the state has directed the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) of police to investigate the allegations.
“The Commissioner of Police, CP Olohundare Jimoh, has summoned all the officers to the Command Headquarters, Ikeja, and has directed the Deputy Commissioner of Police, State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), to investigate the complaint. The public will be updated on the outcome of the investigation,” Mr Hundeyin tweeted.
Extortion, a norm in the Nigerian police?
The latest allegations come amid a rash of recent reports of extortion and abuse involving police officers in Lagos State.
In June, Lagos resident Samuel Ayedogbon said he was returning from a hospital visit to his ailing wife when two men in plain clothes stopped him.
The men, who claimed to be police officers, were later identified as “Police Dogs” — local informants who work with police to extort citizens.
READ ALSO: Police speak on alleged invasion, extortion of N1million by officers in Anambra
Mr Ayedogbon told the Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ) that the men searched him, found nothing, but one later produced a sachet of tramadol, which he insists was planted on him.
He alleged that a policeman identified only as “Prince” beat him at the Owutu Police Station in Agric, Lagos, and extorted N130,000 from him.
In October 2024, a policeman attached to the Rapid Response Squad was caught on camera extorting motorists along the Berger–Arepo–Mowe section of the Lagos–Ibadan Expressway, despite earlier complaints from drivers.
In September 2024, the Lagos State Police Command summoned four officers accused of extorting National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members in Surulere.
Videos posted on X showed the officers stopping the corps members, inspecting their vehicle papers, and later escorting them to a station, after which screenshots of alleged bank transfers to the officers surfaced online.
Mr Hundeyin, the police spokesperson in the state, confirmed the officers were summoned for trial.
