The Plateau State Commissioner of Police, CP Okoro Julius, on Tuesday, disclosed the arrest of officers who extorted N100, 000 from complainants in Jos.
It was gathered that the arrested officers are attached to the Anti-Kidnapping Unit, AKU, of the State’s police command.
The arrest of the police operatives followed an allegation of N500, 000 extortion from the complainants on October 15 by the officers, a development that prompted the police commissioner to wade into the matter for investigation.
However, the CP disclosed that in the course of the investigation, it was revealed that the officers collected N100, 000 and not 500,000 as reported by some media outfits, adding that the money had been recovered and handed over to the complainants.
The command’s spokesperson, DSP Alabo Alfred said: “Following the allegation of extortion by operatives of the Anti-Kidnapping Unit attached to the Plateau State Police Command reported by one Victor Ayeni of the Punch Newspaper on the 15th October 2023 with the headline, ‘Policemen invaded our estate, force us to pay N500, 000- Jos residents’, the State Command has investigated the claim, identified the deviant officers, recovered exhibits and handed them over to the complainants.
“In a bid to ensure that the matter is given the urgent attention that it deserves, the commissioner of police Plateau State Command, CP Okoro Julius on the 16th October, 2023 invited the complainants namely; Audu Michael and Bitrus Zakka to his office where the erring officers were paraded and interviewed before them”.
The PRO further stated: “But contrary to the Punch report, one of the complainants, Audu Michael voluntarily disclosed to the Police that the Punch reporter misrepresented and exaggerated the fact by reporting that AKU operatives extorted the sum of N500,000 instead of N100,000 as alleged by the complainant.
“The Police boss who frown at the unprofessional conduct of the affected officers assures Plateau residents that his administration will not harbour bad eggs in his Command. He therefore ordered the OC Provost of the Command to commence the orderly room trial of the officers with immediate effect”.
The spokesperson added that the CP has urged the general public to always report Police unethical conduct to the Police Public Relations Department and Complaints Response Unit of the command for prompt attention.
