The anti-corruption posture of President Muhammadu Buhari administration has taken its toll on three disgruntled policemen who were recently dismissed from the Force for taking bribe to serve as a deterrent to others who indulge in such acts.
The three policemen attached to Ijede Division in Ikorodu, Lagos, have been dismissed from the Force for allegedly arresting and fleecing their victims of N200, 000.
Inspector Okelue Nkemeonye (136005), Sergeant Braimoh Sunday (355897) and Sergeant Yusuf Olukoga (359928) were sacked from the police on Monday after an Orderly Room trial held at the Zone II Headquarters in Onikan found them guilty of misconduct.
According to the Police Complaint Rapid Response Unit (PCRRU), the dismissed Non-Commissioned Officers (NCOs) were found guilty of corrupt practices and discreditable conducts under the First Schedule of the Police Act, Cap P19, Laws of the Federation, 2004.
Officer in charge of PCRRU, Abayomi Shogunle, an Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), said in a statement that the officers committed the offence on June 21.
He said a complainant had contacted the unit and reported that the policemen picked him up at a bank he went to deposit money.
Since the network was down, the victim, whose name was not given, said he paid the money into his own account in the hope that he would transfer it to the company it was meant for later on.
Upon leaving the bank, he was accosted by armed policemen wearing Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad (FSARS) vests and told him to enter their car while pointing their gun at him.
The victim said his mobile phone was collected from him, adding that the policemen asked what he does for a living and he told them he just completed his National Youth Service Corps (NYSC).
The complainant said he told the policemen he was living with his brother and that he was the one who sent him to the bank.
He also showed them his brother’s shop while they were driving by so they could stop and make enquiries but they refused. He was not allowed to take or make calls.
The victim said he received an alert on his phone, which was the money he deposited in his account, adding that the policemen started accusing him of being a fraudster and demanding N1 million bribe.
“One of them slapped me. They drove us around places in Ikorodu- Ijede, Gberigbe, Ibeshe, Igbe, Ipakodo, Itaelewa, Agric and First Gate- harassing people, moving them in the car and collecting huge amount from them.
“They collected N50,000 from me. I noticed that at each junction that we reached people were hailing their leader by his nickname (OJ. Ojewunmi). And one by name Austin slapped me.
“They picked me up around 9:00 a.m. and dropped me 6:00 p.m. after collecting money from me. They even used my account to collect money from the guys that I met in the car and used my ATM to withdraw them,” the complainant alleged.
www.sojworld.com © July 24, 2017.
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