Four Nigerian police officers are facing internal discipline after they allegedly set up an illegal checkpoint in Abuja and tried to extort the head of the country’s anti-graft agency.
The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission chairman, Musa Aliyu, told police he was stopped on Saturday while driving in the capital. According to his account to BBC Hausa, an officer approached his car, asked for his driver’s license, and then said he would be taken to court for a traffic violation.
Aliyu said the officer suggested a court fine would be 52,000 naira, about £45 or $38, and implied paying would save him time. When Aliyu asked for a bank account to transfer the money, the officer refused. Aliyu alleged he was instead told to go to an ATM and withdraw 53,000 naira in cash.
FCT Police Commissioner Ahmed Sanusi said the officers had abandoned their official posts to run the unauthorized roadblock. After Aliyu reported the incident, Sanusi said an “intelligence-driven operation” led to the arrest of the alleged ringleader and three others.
The officers now face a police disciplinary procedure that could lead to dismissal. Cases like this rarely reach court, Sanusi noted.
The national police chief condemned the alleged conduct and issued a blunt warning to the force: “You have to choose: either a policeman or a thief. You cannot be both. If you fail to choose, your actions will determine where you belong.”
