Four Nigerian traffic police officers have been arrested after allegedly extorting money from the head of one of the country’s leading anti-corruption agencies at an illegal checkpoint in the capital, Abuja.
Musa Aliyu, chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, said the officers stopped his vehicle on Saturday and forced him to withdraw 53,000 naira from a cash machine.
Abuja Police Commissioner Ahmed Sanusi said the officers had abandoned their assigned posts and established an unauthorised roadblock to demand money from motorists.
The suspects are now facing an internal disciplinary process that could result in their dismissal from the police force. Such cases rarely proceed to criminal prosecution in Nigeria.
Aliyu reported the incident to police, prompting what Sanusi described as an intelligence-led operation. Investigators first arrested the alleged ringleader before taking the other three officers into custody.
Speaking to BBC Hausa, Aliyu said an officer entered his vehicle after ordering him to open the door and then demanded his driving licence.
The officer allegedly threatened to take Aliyu to court for violating traffic regulations. Aliyu said he agreed to go to court, but the officer instead suggested that paying money would prevent him from wasting time.
According to Aliyu, the officer claimed that a court would impose a fine of about 52,000 naira and demanded payment. The officer reportedly refused to provide a bank account for an electronic transfer, forcing Aliyu to withdraw cash from a nearby machine.
Nigeria’s police leadership strongly condemned the alleged misconduct and warned officers against abusing their authority.
“You have to choose: either a policeman or a thief,” Sanusi said. “You cannot be both. If you fail to choose, your actions will determine where you belong.”
The investigation and disciplinary proceedings remain ongoing.