In Lagos State, three policemen have been apprehended for allegedly extorting a Chinese expatriate.
The erring officers, who are attached to the Area F of the State Police Command, committed the crime along Sheraton-Opebi link Road area of the state.
The incident happened on last Wednesday while the culprits were conducting a stop and search at the location
The police officers were said to have flagged down the foreigner and requested his documents, including a green card.
Although the expatriate tender the soft copy of the documents through his phone gallery, the officers insisted on seeing the original copies.
A rights activist, Lameed Adekunle, who was privy to the development disclosed after a series of discussions and pleas from the expatriate, the officers forced him to pay N100,000 into a Point Of Sale account.
He said, “The expatriate was on his way for an urgent meeting when the police officers stopped him and demanded his documents including his green card which was shown to the officers through a phone gallery but the officers insisted on seeing the original. Because he was unable to provide it, the officers requested N100,000 and since they did not want to get late to the meeting, they had to make the payment into the account provided to them.”
Speaking on how it became public knowledge, Adewale Ojo of the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights said the expatriate, who works with a popular construction company, narrated his experience to his Nigerian co-workers who later escalated the matter.
He said, “The man just moved to Nigeria and he felt so disappointed in the way he was treated. He had to tell some of his workers who later informed us. We took it up, informed the police authorities and the officers were identified. This also led to their arrest and detention.”
He further stated that the policemen were summoned to the provost’s office in the Ikeja area of the state, adding that they had since been detained.
Ojo added the police officers were instructed to refund the money to the foreigner.
“The money is expected to be refunded tomorrow, Monday. We are doing this to make sure that the bad eggs in the police are fished out and we also want to follow this particular case to the end like we have always done,” he added.
The command spokesperson, Benjamin Hundeyin, is yet to issue a statement on the matter.
