The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command has arrested and detained four police officers accused of extorting ₦53,000 from the Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Dr. Musa Aliyu (SAN), during an illegal stop-and-search operation in Abuja. The officers allegedly did not know the identity of their victim.
The Nigeria Police Force has launched disciplinary proceedings against four officers accused of extorting the Chairman of the ICPC during an unauthorised checkpoint operation in the Federal Capital Territory.
The officers were arrested after allegedly forcing Dr. Musa Aliyu (SAN) to part with ₦53,000 during what police authorities described as an illegal stop-and-search exercise.
According to the FCT Commissioner of Police, Ahmed Sanusi, the officers abandoned their official duty posts and mounted an illegal checkpoint around the Banex/Wuse axis of Abuja.
Unaware that the motorist they stopped was Nigeria’s anti-corruption chief, they allegedly compelled him to withdraw ₦53,000 through a Point-of-Sale (POS) operator. The ICPC chairman reportedly also paid the transaction charges before the money was allegedly shared among the officers.
Commissioner Sanusi described the officers’ actions as criminal and completely inconsistent with the values of the Nigeria Police Force.
He disclosed that the suspects have been taken into custody and are currently undergoing orderly room trial, warning that dismissal and other disciplinary sanctions await any officer found guilty of misconduct.
The commissioner also reiterated the command’s zero-tolerance policy against extortion, illegal checkpoints and unlawful stop-and-search operations.
He urged members of the public to report any acts of misconduct by police personnel, assuring residents that erring officers would be held accountable.
The arrest has drawn widespread public attention because the alleged victim was the nation’s anti-corruption agency chairman. The incident has renewed calls for stronger internal discipline and reforms within the Nigeria Police Force to curb extortion and abuse of office.