The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command, on Wednesday, says the officers who were involved in extortion while on duty in Abuja have been taken into custody.
A trending video had captured the officers extorting money from a commuter at Area 11, Abuja.
In the video, the victim had withdrawn some money from a GT Bank ATM located within the area and was seen handing the cash to some police officers waiting by a police van parked across the street.
The trending video has attracted the attention of the police authorities. The FCT Commissioner of Police, CP Sunday Babaji, in a statement issued on Wednesday by the command’s spokesperson, Josephine Adeh, ordered an investigation into the matter.
The statement urged residents who know the victim of the alleged extortion to reach out to the authority, particularly the office of the Police Public Relations Officer of the command for investigations.
The statement read, “The FCT Commissioner of Police, CP Sunday Babaji, has ordered the immediate arrest and investigation of police officers in the viral extortion video. The officers who were on traffic duty along Area 11, where a young man whose identity has yet to be identified, was intercepted and extorted, have been taken into custody and are currently under investigation to unravel facts surrounding the situation.”
Babaji described the attitude of the officers as ‘a discreditable conduct, an act unbecoming of police officers,’ and noted that disciplinary action would be taken against the erring officers.
“The Command wishes to call on anyone who has a way of reaching out to the young man in the video to avail the command with his contact details or to relay a message of invitation to the Public Relations Officer of the Command.
“The CP, while reinstating the assurance of the Command’s unflinching commitment towards service in line with standard best practices, wishes to remind residents of the availability of the Public Complaints Bureau line: 0902 222 2352, a number specially created for members of the public to report any unprofessional conduct of police officers while discharging their duties,” the statement added.