• Extorted money recovered from culprits

The Lagos State Police Command has detained three of its officers for alleged extortion of N150,000 from a writer, Ramadan Adenola, 21.

Police spokesman, CSP Benjamin Hundeyin, said the amount had been recovered from the officers and they were immediately detained after the matter got to the attention of the Commissioner of Police (CP) Olohundare Moshood Jimoh.

He said: “The policemen were three in number and we have identified them. The Commissioner of Police gave a directive that the matter be investigated immediately it got to his attention.

“The money has been recovered from them and words sent to the victim to come for it. Also, the three suspects, the CP has directed their transfer to the Command headquarters to face disciplinary procedure at the Provost Unit.”

Adenola lamented how the policemen on stop-and-search operation under the Otedola bridge had flagged the hailing service vehicle he was inside with a colleague heading to Berger.

He said the policemen who searched their bags, phones and bodies but found nothing incriminating, proceeded to bundle them to the Isheri Police Station where they were delayed for about two hours and eventually extorted the money which he had to withdraw from a Point of Sale (POS) merchant.

Narrating his ordeal, Adenola, who was heading to Ife after his business trip in Lagos, said:

“Instead, they sandwiched us into the back of the Bolt, two officers sitting beside us and one in the front passenger seat. Straight to the station- Isheri Police Station.

“At the station, one officer seemed particularly interested in my phone. If you know me, you know I do one thing— writing and content creation.

That’s exactly what I told him.

“Then his eyes fell on what he called “incriminating evidence.” My Binance app.

While this was happening, another officer turned GB’s (his colleague’s) box upside down but still found nothing.

“Then, they stopped searching and led us to an unfinished building behind the station.

Not like we even entered the main station to begin with.

Everything happened in a set of rooms behind their main office.

In the unfinished building, the officer said: “Give us ₦2M ($1,298), and you can go.”

“Excuse me, sir, how much is my salary? How much is your own salary?”

Adenola said he tried to negotiate N20,000 but the officers refused and asked him to write a statement which he did, only for one of the officers to ask if he knew that Binance was illegal in Nigeria?

Adenola said be answered in the positive and was told to write it down, adding that at this point, he had already negotiated N100,000 with them.

“But then Officer 2 saw $300 in my Binance and asked why I couldn’t send that instead.

It was clear he wasn’t satisfied with my offer.

“He checked my Trust Wallet, saw a few more funds, and almost flared up. Seemingly, Officer 1 was the leader, and we were already on “good terms”— if you can even call it that.

“Meanwhile, my mum’s call was ringing.

“Officer 1 kept asking what I use my money for. I told him I take care of my family.

Maybe that struck something in him? I lost track of time at that point, but judging by my missed calls, we were there from 11:50am to 1:15pm—when I made this tweet.

“Oh, and they made me walk across the street to withdraw cash and hand it to them.

“Eventually, we left. What was supposed to be a 20-minute ride turned into a 2-hour extortion session that ended with:

“•A free ride to the station for the officers; •N150,000 stipend for a few weeks and •Even a gate fee to leave the place.

“Was the police my friend in all this? No. They were my extorters.”

Nation