Police arrest cops for extorting N29m from Abuja businessman

The Nigeria Police Force has confirmed the arrest of its officers who abducted a businessman in Abuja and extorted N29.9m from him in January.

The force spokesperson, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, confirmed the development on Tuesday through his X handle (@Princemoye1), while disclosing that the force had taken significant steps toward ensuring justice prevailed in the case.

He said, “We are making a headway on this matter, and justice will be served, as some suspects have been arrested. Hakuna matata.”

The businessman was reportedly abducted at one of his sites in Abuja by armed police officers who detained him until he transferred all the money in his bank account to them.

Subsequently, they insisted that he call his relatives and friends to keep sending money before he could be released.

In a video watched by Punch Online, a narrator had said, “I posted about the case of N29,900,000 police extortion in Abuja, Nigeria. Alright, I don't know how to call it, whether it is police robbery, kidnapping or police extortion. But this is beyond extortion. This is criminal act and this is kidnapping and they collected from this young man is called ransom.

“All right, this young man was driving yesterday going to his site because he has a building project in Abuja here and he was stopped by some police officers who were dressed in black with Ak-47 seven rifle magazines and they took him away.

“So they took him round Abuja, took him round because some cases we have witnessed before before, that's how they always operate. Took him to an unknown destination. Like he told me yesterday and at a point he was scared. Where were they taking him to?

“So they started checking his phone, they saw his account balance, they saw his wallet and everything, and they told him to send all the money in his account to an account number they provided, they gave him two account numbers. One is Access Bank and one is Moniepoint. The man transferred all the money he has in his account and now started calling his friends, who were sending him three million, one million.

“In Abuja currently, you have heard about kidnapping cases, robbery cases and nobody knows who are these people operating like this. Now this act of these police officers; how do you describe it? Is in the robbery? Is it kidnapping or is it professional or work like carried out by them? Remember, no complaint was made against this young man. No statement was taken.

“You only forced him to make your video like other cases will be handling for years, they will force you to make a video to for you to indict yourself that you are either a fraudster or you are involved in cultism, you are involved in ritual, or you are member of IPOB, these are the trends from the cases we have handled for the past 9 years. This has been the trend of these rogue police officers.”

In less than 24 hours, police operatives from the Federal Capital Territory command arrested a 20-year-old kidnap kingpin, Buhari Muhammad, and five others in a hotel in Abuja.

The suspects, who were arrested following intelligence on their activities were said to have kidnapped one Joshua Eze.

Eze who was abducted on January 27 was subsequently rescued unhurt by operatives of the command on January 28, 2024.

Announcing the arrest of the suspects in a statement on Monday, the FCT command's spokesperson, SP Josephine Adeh, stated that one AK-47 and N350,000 were recovered from the suspects.