Policemen attached to the Ilogbo Elegba police station in the Ojo area of Lagos State have released Peter Oriyomi, a resident of the neighbouring Shibiri community whom they abducted on Thursday morning.
The police let him and five others go on Thursday evening after FIJ reported how they [police] raided Oriyomi’s area, collected the cash he was going to deposit in a bank, and demanded N200,000 more to release him.
This report, featuring direct statements from one of Oriyomi’s daughters, detailed how the police locked up the man, failed to read him any charges, and then demanded N200,000 from his family.
READ MORE: Lagos Police Abduct Shop Owner, Negotiate N200,000 Ransom for His Release
After about four hours, the police dropped their demands to N50,000 and a copy of his National Identification Number (NIN) slip.
When the family began making efforts to raise money to pay the police for what they described as ‘bail’, FIJ contacted the Lagos State Police Complaints Response Unit (CRU).
This unit provided the phone number of Rilwan Kasumu, a policeman at the Ilogbo Elegba station.
When FIJ called Kasumu on Thursday, he said he was not in the station at the time but would ensure the police did not collect any money.
Kasumu later told FIJ that the police picked up seven people when they went to the area to arrest a drug user.
He said, “They arrested seven people on suspicion of being involved in selling drugs. They will release six of them. Nobody will collect any money.”
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When FIJ reiterated the police made a N200,000 demand despite knowing Oriyomi was innocent, Kasumu did not respond.
After Oriyomi’s release, Olamiposi, his daughter, told FIJ the police also returned all the money they took from him in cash.
“He is back. Thank you so much, sir,” Olamiposi told FIJ. “They have given everything back to him. Thank you so much, God will bless you.”
The police refused to comment on whether they would sanction the errant policemen.
The post After FIJ’s Story, Lagos Police Release Shop Owner, Return His Money appeared first on Foundation For Investigative Journalism.