Lagos Police begin disciplinary action against tactical squad officer over N100,000 extortion

Police Intervention and Refund of Extorted Funds

The Lagos State Police Command has commenced disciplinary action against officers of the Tactical Unit attached to the Mile 2 Police Station following allegations that they extorted N100,000 from four young men. The victims were reportedly detained after being mistakenly identified as suspected cultists and armed robbers while returning from a cinema outing.

The disciplinary measures were triggered by a report from the Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ), which brought the incident to the attention of police authorities. Area Commander Godwin Oti Chike confirmed that he personally investigated the matter, identified the officers involved, and ensured the recovery of the extorted funds.

I have taken the statements from the boys involved and I have gotten the officers to refund the money to them and the issue has been resolved amicably. The officers are attached to the Mile 2 police station and I intervened as the commanding officer.

— Godwin Oti Chike, Area Commander, Lagos State Police Command

Mistaken Identity and Late-Night Detention

The incident began when four young men were apprehended by Tactical Unit officers while returning to their hotel after visiting Festival Cinema in FESTAC. One of the victims, Ayomide Akinpelu Salvation, explained that they started running after hearing a commotion involving people with cutlasses in the area. This movement reportedly drew the attention of the officers, who accused them of being criminals.

According to Akinpelu, the officers ignored their explanations and the physical evidence of their cinema tickets. The men were subsequently taken to the Mile 2 Police Station around 11:00 pm, where the accusations escalated from armed robbery to being members of a cult.

They started by saying we were armed robbers, asking where we threw our guns and dagger. They were asking us where we kept the guns and dagger and telling us that we had run after seeing them and thrown our pistols away.

— Ayomide Akinpelu Salvation, Victim, N/A

Demands for Bail and Financial Coercion

While in detention, the victims were allegedly subjected to financial pressure. Akinpelu stated that at approximately 1:30 am, an officer questioned them individually about their ability to pay for their release. The officer reportedly inquired if they could raise as much as N5 million before asking to see their bank account balances on their phones.

He asked me if they ask us to bail ourselves, can we raise N5 million? I told him we couldn’t. I said I was not even sure I had up to N100,000 in my account alone.

— Ayomide Akinpelu Salvation, Victim, N/A

By 5:00 am, a superior officer reportedly questioned the men again. Despite the victims providing receipts and photographic evidence of their time at the cinema, the officers allegedly insisted on a payment. The four men eventually pooled together N100,000, which was transferred to an OPay account under the name Wahab Ayinde Abdulrasaq before they were permitted to leave.

Internal Disciplinary Proceedings

The formal intervention by the Area Command has now placed the conduct of the involved officers under internal scrutiny. The refund of the N100,000 serves as a central development in the ongoing investigation into the tactical squad's activities at the Mile 2 Police Station.

Akinpelu emphasized that throughout the ordeal, no incriminating items were found on them. He noted that their digital footprint, including payment receipts and photos taken inside the cinema, corroborated their story from the beginning, though the arresting officers were initially uninterested in the evidence. The Lagos State Police Command has indicated that the officers' conduct will be subjected to the full weight of internal disciplinary protocols.