The Langbasa Police Station located in the Ajah area of Lagos State on Friday returned N750,000 some of its officers extorted from Sunday Ayelagun, a Nigerian who returned to the country from South Africa.
This development followed a report by FIJ that exposed how the officers, among whom was Officer Saka, forced Ayelagun to part with the money on Wednesday.
On Thursday, Umar Ali Jada, the divisional police officer (DPO) at the station, told FIJ that he would investigate the matter. He then asked the victim to visit his office.
READ ALSO: Lagos Police Extort N750,000 From South Africa Returnee
Ayelagun, who had left Nigeria on Thursday, asked Feranmi, his brother, to visit the station on his behalf.
Feranmi subsequently met with the DPO on Friday. The DPO had identified the team involved in the extortion. He then took Feranmi to the PoS terminal operator to transfer the money to Ayelagun’s Zenith Bank account.
Credit alert of the transaction.
“I really appreciate you,” Ayelagun said after confirming the receipt of the transaction on Friday.
Briefing FIJ about what the DPO told him, Feranmi said, “The DPO said he would like to have those officers tried but the only problem is that the victim had left Nigeria and there will be nobody to testify against them. He also apologised.”
READ ALSO: FUOYE Governing Council to Investigate VC Abayomi Fasina for Sexual Harassment, After FIJ’s Story, But…
Ayelagun was going home around 2 am in the new year when he met the unprofessional policemen at Badore, a location not too far from the police station.
He exchanged greetings with the policemen and they requested to see his car’s documents and driver’s licence.
Ayelagun told them that he had a temporary licence with him but the car itself belonged to Blessing Patrick, his friend. As if that was all they were waiting for to justify extortion, the policemen immediately accused Ayelagun of driving a stolen vehicle.
They collected the car key and his phone and then drove him to their station where they successfully collected N750,000 before releasing him.
Given how many people have had their lives jeopardised by security operatives away from the public eye, Ayelagun said he felt terrified because it was midnight and started begging the policemen to release him.
The post After FIJ’s Story, Lagos Police Return Extorted N750,000 to South Africa Returnee appeared first on Foundation For Investigative Journalism.