Kogi State Police Command has begun an investigation into a trending video where police personnel attached to Adogo Division reportedly extorted N25,000 from a traveller while on patrol duty along Adogo-Okene road.
One of the cops was also said to have physically assaulted another commuter.
The names of the officers were given as ASP Isah Barnabas, Inspector Ifediegwu Godwin, Sergeant Emmanuel Ochima and Corporal Umameh Mathias, who physically assaulted one of the travellers.
In a statement issued by the state Police Public Relations Officer, William Aya, on October 16, 2021, on behalf of the Commissioner of Police Idrisu Dauda Dabban, the incident was grossly condemned, with the police boss disclosing that the police officers had been identified and detained at the State Criminal Investigation Department.
The statement read: “The Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) has been issued an official query while the three (3) other junior officers are currently undergoing orderly room trial (police internal disciplinary actions).”
The police commissioner, who enjoined the victims to reach out to the Command thorough 08107899269, said that the Command was doing its best to establish contact with them.
He assured that any of the officers found wanting in the investigations would be dealt with accordingly.
The video of the assault on the traveller by a police officer in camouflage uniform had gone viral, with his being seen slapping the victim, who had reportedly challenged him and others officers on the extortion from another traveller.
The police officers were said to have collected N25,000 from the commuter after seeing him with a laptop.
He was reportedly taken to an Automated Teller Machine to collect the money, after changing from uniform into mufti.
They were said to have initially wanted to do online transfer, but could not give any account details that would be traceable and put them in trouble.
The Inspector General of Police, Usman Baba Alkali, had earlier directed the Commissioner of Police to immediately carry out discreet investigation into the incident in the trending video from a location in the North Central state.
The IGP, in a statement issued on his behalf by the Force Public Relations Officer, CP Frank Mba, also called for calm, assuring that justice would be done to the victim of the incident at the end of the investigation, while police personnel found guilty would be brought to book.
