Police extortion and need for reform

Last week, the Federal Capital Territory Police (FCT) Command announced the arrest of four police officers for allegedly extorting N53, 000 from the Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Dr Musa Aliyu (SAN). The announcement would have been comic relief if it were not so tragic. The irony of […]

Last week, the Federal Capital Territory Police (FCT) Command announced the arrest of four police officers for allegedly extorting N53, 000 from the Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Dr Musa Aliyu (SAN). The announcement would have been comic relief if it were not so tragic. The irony of it was not lost: officers of the law extorting the head of an anti-corruption agency.

While announcing their arrest to journalists, the FCT Commissioner of Police, Ahmed Sanusi, said the officers abandoned their duty posts, mounted an unauthorised checkpoint in Wuse, and intercepted the ICPC chairman. They then escorted him to a Point of Sale terminal (POS), where he withdrew the money and handed it over. Sanusi acknowledged that despite repeated directives from the police leadership, some officers continued to engage in extortion and other forms of misconduct.

Days later, in Ondo State, another four officers were arrested after a viral video exposed them demanding bribes from motorists along the Ijebu-Ode–Ore–Benin Expressway. The video had exposed how one of the police officers went through the vehicle documents of a driver and, finding them up to date, he demanded a bribe, which the driver refused. The officer then seized his driver’s licence and demanded he park his vehicle for further checks.

While parading the suspects in Akure, the state capital, the spokesperson of the command, Abayomi Jimoh, noted that the Nigeria Police Force is a disciplined and professional institution that does not condone any form of misconduct, incivility, or actions capable of undermining public confidence.

It is well known that these examples of extortion and the subsequent arrest are not isolated incidents but reflect the everyday encounter of ordinary Nigerians with members of the Nigerian Police Force. Extortion, harassment, and abuse of power have become the defining features of police/citizen encounters. The occasional arrests of “bad eggs” are nothing more than scapegoating in a system where corruption is deeply entrenched and normalised.

Beyond this tragedy is the audacity of a typical Nigerian, whether in uniform or in civilian clothing. Over the years, the country has cultivated a system where everyone feels the need to take with impunity. Politicians do it, government officials and civil servants do it, law enforcement agents do it and even the less privileged assert this mindset on the street. Corruption has become so normalised that only those unlucky enough to be caught bear the brunt, while the system itself continues to reward impunity.

And so, the Nigerian Police Force, by its very design, should be the most important law enforcement agency. It is the most visible in communities, accessible to citizens, and the first responders in emergencies. Their direct interaction with communities makes police officers central to maintaining peace, law and order.

Yet, in today’s Nigeria, the word “police” has become synonymous with corruption, ineptitude, and brutality, leaving it distrusted by the very people it is meant to protect. How else can one explain a law enforcement agency tasked with fighting crime becoming a leading enabler of corruption? Officers routinely extort motorists because many junior police officers operate with the mindset that bribe-taking is part of their job description. Moreover, there are alleged reports of senior officers demanding “returns” from subordinates. This therefore means the problem goes deeper than misconduct by a few officers, but it is a structural rot.

Nigeria cannot function like this. A crippled police force is a disaster, and reform is not optional but urgent. To do this, the Nigerian government must confront the root causes. First, it must upscale the salaries and allowances of police officers as well as fund and equip police stations. The current system of starving police stations of realistic funding enables corruption and forces officers to “generate revenue” from the streets.

We equally call for training and retraining of police officers. This is not limited to combat skills but professionalism, accountability and respect for human dignity. Police officers are expected to act with utmost professionalism, respect for human dignity, and in strict compliance with the Code of Conduct and Standard Operating Procedures.

The Police Service Commission has only just released the names of 50,000 successful applicants recruited into the Nigeria Police Force as Police Constables. These numbers mean nothing if they come with the mindset that “daily returns” must be made to their superiors. Without structural reform, Nigeria will simply be multiplying dysfunction.