Obinna Ezeifeka, a Delta State resident, has accused policemen in the state’s Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) of attempting to extort N30,000 from him to get his biometrics checked for a police character certificate (PCC).
Ezeifeka told FIJ he visited the department in Asaba, the state capital, on Wednesday morning with his receipt and documentation generated on the Police Specialised Services Automation Project (POSSAP).
There, he met a female officer who told him he must pay N30,000 to complete the process. Ezeifeka said he told her he already paid online, but she insisted he had to pay another fee.
Ezeifeka’s receipt
“I could not get her name as she wore mufti, but she was about six feet tall, fleshy and not very fair in complexion,” Ezeifeka explained. “She said the N30,000 sum was non-negotiable, so I left the office.”
READ ALSO: UNDERCOVER: With N45,000, I Got Valid Police Character Certificate for Kirikiri Prison Inmate
The PCC is a document the police issue to convey to an employer, country or any entity that requires it to confirm the bearer has no criminal record and has no case to answer with the justice system.
Via the POSSAP website, Nigerians upload their data, pay a fee and generate a receipt. They then present the receipt to the criminal investigation department to capture their fingerprints for a biometric check. Capturing the biometrics is free.
In July 2024, FIJ published an undercover investigative report detailing how policemen were bypassing the system to extort money from unsuspecting Nigerians, defeating the purpose of the verification.
This report and several follow-up stories led to the arrests of several policemen in Lagos and Abuja, but the trend continues.
On Wednesday evening, Bright Edafe, spokesman for the Delta Police Command, called Ezeifeka to invite him to the command on Thursday.
The PPRO promised to investigate the matter and get the man his PCC.
The post Delta Police Deny Man PCC, Demand Illegal N30,000 appeared first on Foundation For Investigative Journalism.