A 100-level student of Lagos State University (LASU), Izuchukwu Martins, was allegedly kidnapped and extorted by operatives of the Nigeria Police Force in the Abule Ado area of Lagos.
The policemen, some of whom were in plainclothes, dragged Martins into a commercial bus and demanded N5 million before settling for N500,000.
According to Martins, the incident occurred when he was on his way to visit his uncle. “Yesterday (Wednesday), I was going to my uncle’s side, and as I reached Abule Ado area, the bike man (commercial motorcyclist) already told me that police officers normally harass boys around that area—Abule Ado bus stop, the bridge there,” Martins narrated.
Martins continued, “As I came down, I did not know they had seen us from afar. As I was walking forward, two policemen without uniforms approached me. They were armed, they were holding guns, but not in uniform. They dragged me inside the Korope (minibus). I was shouting, but they dragged me inside forcefully.”
The policemen searched Martins, found his phone and wristwatch, and then demanded money, claiming that Martins was a fraudster due to pictures of foreigners on his phone. “They demanded N5 million before they could release me… I kept asking them what I did to warrant my arrest? That was when they said they saw Oyinbo (foreigners) pictures on my phone. I asked them, is that why I should pay N5 million? How would I gather that kind of money? I’m a student,” Martins said.
Martins was coerced into transferring the N500,000 to an Opay account provided by one of the officers’ colleagues. “I offered to give them N20,000, but they told me, ‘Do we look hungry?’ and rejected it. That was when they demanded N500,000, which I did not know they had seen on my account balance. I told them I can’t afford that money, but they insisted I had it and showed me my account balance,” Martins added.
The Take-It-Back Movement has taken up Martins’ case and is seeking justice. The group’s Lagos Coordinator, Adekunle Adeyemi Taofeek, stated that they would write a petition and bring Martins along for proper identification of the police officers involved.
