Police in Ife intimidate, extort Local Government secretary

Police officers requesting for bribe

Most Nigerian Police officers habitually demand bribe from citizens at every contact. The most notorious contact point are the check points on most roads. Although the Inspector general of Police, Mohammed Abubakar, made pronouncements abolishing these roadblocks, his officers are yet to let the bribe habit go and are still committing the crime.

The secretary to Ife central Local Government Area narrates how police officers in Ile – Ife stopped him on last week, intimidated and extorted him. Because he had no cash on him, the police officers followed him to a nearby ATM.

His story:

I was travelling from Ibadan to Ile-Ife on the October, 27 at about 11.30am when a police patrol team double-crossed my official car with registration number LG 04 FFE and asked me to stop. After stopping, one officer came down from the police van to ask for the particulars of the vehicle which I gave to him, he took the papers to his boss, Johnson Olusegun (team leader) who asked how I got the vehicle.

I told him that the vehicle is my official car as the Scribe (Secretary) to Ife Central LGA. He requested for my Identity Card and I showed him my National I.D which he rejected insisting that I provide an I.D as the secretary to the local government and I explained to him that we don’t use I.D card as political office holders in my LGA.

He further requested to see the Log Book which I showed to him then he asked for my driver and I told him that my driver was sick and that was why I had to drive myself. I specifically told him that I had to drive myself because of the urgency of the official matter which I had to attend at the palace of the Ooni of Ife for the annual ‘Olojo Festival’ as a Local Government official.

He asked for my driving licence which I said was not with me because it was been renewed, he therefore asked me follow them to the Area Command Office at Iwo Road to see the Area Commander.

On getting to their office, he directed one of his officers in the patrol van to deflate my tyre and collect my car key and they all jumped into their vehicle to go for patrol again. When I requested that they take me to the Area Commander they ignored me and then Mr Johnson Olusegun directed the driver of the patrol van to start the engine for them to go.

He then asked me to give them “something” for my vehicle to be released. I refused to do that and they started their vehicle in an attempt to drive off telling me to come back on the 29th which is Monday. When I discovered that they were doing all these just to delay me and get me frustrated, I beg them but they to refused to head my plea.

I was forced to take them to the Stanbic IBTC’s ATM beside their office to withdraw N2000 for them before they could release my vehicle.

I have decided to report this because I want these errant officers to be punished for gross misconduct.

CR Barr. Elubode Ademola Elufisoye
Scribe to Ife Central LGA of the State of Osun