Police officers from the Lagos State Police Command apprehended a Police Sergeant who conspired with motorists to pick up unsuspecting commuters and transport them to police formations and/or Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) locations in order to detain them and later collect money from them.
Following accusations from prominent Nigerians, the perpetrator and his accomplice were apprehended. The Police Public Relations officer, Benjamin Hundeyin, said he came across a video that went viral on social media by a lawyer on the activity of some policemen in Korope Bus Stop, picking civilians and taking them to police formations, threatening to impound their vehicles or send them to jail for traffic violations, and out of fear, the civilians would part with money for their freedom.
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“When we got wind of this, we started trailing them, and eventually, we arrested two of the gang’s members; but, according to the video, the lawyer said they were four.”
“Two are currently on the run, and we will catch them soon.” Unfortunately, one of the accomplice is Oluwaniyi Ojenusi, a 36-year-old police officer and deserter.
“He was serving in Lagos and had been transferred to Osun State since last year; however, he refused to report to his current base and instead remained in Lagos with some criminals who were carrying out these nefarious activities.”
“His accomplice is Maxwell Adiba, 42, a commercial driver who would pose as a police officer and pick up unsuspecting innocent people and drive them around town for hours before demanding money.”
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“We especially want to thank the lawyer for bringing this criminal act to the public’s attention, and we urged other Nigerians to join hands with the police in exposing similar ills in the society.”
“Let me assure Lagosians that the two others on the run are being closely monitored and will be brought to justice in a very short time,” he added.