Motorists in Lagos State have raised concern over their continued extortion and harassment by police officers, and the payment of gate passes at various police stations across the state.

They alleged police extortion during their daily stop and search duty, after which arrests were made, their cars seized and they were made to pay varying amounts to secure their release.

On Sunday, Nigerian Tribune observed the situation across different locations in the state as police officers mount stop and search. Victims have called for the intervention of the Inspector General of Police and State Commissioner of Police to address the growing ugly trend.

In December 2024, amid increasing concerns over misconduct by some policemen, Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Kayode Egbetokun, announced a ban on arbitrary arrests, harassment of Nigerians and the checking of mobile phones by police officers across the country.

The directive, which was addressed to all state police commands, stressed the need to end human rights violations and restore the Nigeria Police Force?s reputation while cautioning that errant officers and their supervisors would face severe punishment if the unlawful activities persisted. Despite the IGP?s warning, extortion and harassment of innocent motorists by policemen in Lagos State has continued unhindered.

A victim of police extortion, a private car owner, Kunle (surname withheld), told Nigerian Tribune how policemen attached to Okota police station collected N6,000 for his proof of ownership which was yet to expire.

He lamented the misuse of stop and search by the police in the Okota roundabout area of the state while also alleging an extortion of N6, 000 from him before his impounded Toyota SUV was released with the payment of N400 as gate pass before he was allowed to drive out of the station.

According to him, the police officers, numbering about eight were stationed at the Okota roundabout to engage in stop and search exercise to arrest and extort motorists for frivolous offences for which they were made to pay between N10, 000 and N20,000 to secure their release.

He said, ?It happened on Sunday around 10am. I was driving along Okota roundabout to link the Cele-Expressway when I was stopped by a police officer in uniform. They were about eight officers led by a tall, lanky and dark in complexion police officer who they referred to as ?commandant?. One of the officers flagged down my car and directed me to park by the side of the road in order not to obstruct the free flow of traffic.

?He requested for my driver?s license and proof of ownership documents which I gave to him. Both documents were valid, but he raised concern over the proof of ownership document which, according to him, was outdated.

?I told him it would expire in July 2025 but he insisted that the Federal Government has introduced a new design which I ought to have acquired. Before I knew what was happening, he had entered my car and we headed to the station.

?At the station, he collected my car key and parked my car at a spot within the premises of the police station and went back to his colleagues at the stop and search spot. I was at the station with other drivers whose cars were seized for similar offences. Almost an hour later, the police officer returned and asked me what I?m willing to offer them. I said I have nothing and I continued to plead with him with a promise to secure the latest proof of ownership document.

?This was when he requested for N10,000 to be paid before I could be released. I pleaded but all my pleas fell on deaf ears. In the end, I parted with N6,000 and he returned my car key to me. But as I drove to the gate, another officer manning the gate stopped my car demanding for ?station guard?. I was puzzled. What?s station guard, I quizzed? He then rephrased it and said gate fee. He insisted on collecting N1000 as gate fee before I could be allowed to drive out of the station.

?I begged him that all I had on me was N400 and after so much persuasion, he collected the N400 and we were allowed to go.?

The Lagos State Police image maker, Benjamin Hundeyin, could not be reached to respond to this as calls made to his line were not responded to nor did he respond to inquiries sent to his line through WhatsApp.

?Police accused me of driving a stolen car, collected N20,000 as bail?

Another driver, Rotimi Owotimo, shared an unpleasant experience in the hands of police officers operating on an interstate route along the Shagamu-Ore Expressway.

Owotimo, a private driver, alleged that police officers in that axis target mainly private car owners and not commercial bus drivers.

He said that he had to call a friend in Lagos to borrow the amount requested to save him from the stolen car allegation against him by the police officers. It was N40, 000 as ?bail?.

He explained further, ?Normally, every motorist is expected to pay N500 at every checkpoint to police officers, but I calculated how much I?ve paid from Lagos to the point I was stopped. So I was reluctant to pay. So they decided to come hard on me by asking for my road worthiness and proof of ownership. I showed them, but the policeman told me that they have introduced a new proof of ownership which he expected me to present to him. So, failing to present the newly introduced proof of ownership, he concluded that my car was a stolen vehicle and that I would pay N40,000 to secure my release.

?From Ore road, I was taken to a police station located at Obalende where I was detained for several hours before they opened another round of negotiation. I offered to pay N3,000 but they insisted on collecting N40,000 just for not having the new proof of ownership. At the station, another officer came to check the chassis number of my car and other particulars after which he gave me a sheet to write a statement. He led me in writing that they arrested me with a stolen car and that that wasn?t the first time I would be journeying in a stolen car.

?It was at this point that I decided to succumb to their demand and I called a friend in Lagos who sent N20,000 to my account which I collected from a POS operator and gave to them. Now, when that was been settled, as I was driving out of the station, another police officer stopped me to demand for N2,000 as gate pass.?

He continued, ?It is the same situation at police stations and check points across the country. It happens both interstate and within the state. The police have varying amounts for degrees of offences and crimes and allegations. How much you eventually pay is determined by your negotiation power. The proof of ownership comes with road worthiness, but the police would take advantage of ignorance of drivers to extort motorists. The Inspector General of Police and state commands should see to this.?

The President of The Centre for Human and Socio-Economic Rights (CHSR), Comrade Alex Omotehinse, has decried the increasing extortion and harassment of innocent citizens by the police on stop and search exercises.

According to him, harassing and extorting motorists have become a normal way of life for the police officers, noting that a change of mindset and a measure of self-dignity were urgently required to curb the menace.

Speaking further on this, he said, ?On the police harassment and extortion, it has become a normal way of life for the officers. It has been assumed that police officers must extort motorists and because 99 per cent of these motorists are not bold enough to challenge the officers who are bent on denting the image of the good ones among the Nigerian police officers. This makes it difficult for rights activists to curb the menace. Until motorists begin to challenge legitimately the actions of the police, this act will go unchallenged. If a document is to expire by July and a police officer impounds a vehicle in March, this shows the level of desperation and the height of corruption in that institution. Even a vehicle licensing officer won?t penalise the motorist for driving with such a document. It is very difficult to correct this mindset because these officers are paying return to their superior officers.

?Long before the announcement of the IGP, those at the checkpoints see the checkpoint as an avenue to extort innocent Nigerians. Corruption in Nigerian Police is one of the highest in Nigeria. Imagine somebody was arrested at the police station, once you bail yourself having fulfilled the amount requested, you would also be asked to pay for gate pass. I don?t want to mention specific police stations; this happens in almost all the police stations across Lagos State. As far as Lagos is concerned, no station can be exonerated as far as the act of extortion is concerned.?

He added that police are stationed at different checkpoints yet cases of crimes persist. ?This is because many of them are there on the road to enrich themselves and not for policing.

?Any motorist that was picked from the checkpoint to the station is someone that refused to play ball or the amount he offered was not favorable to them. This is also what happens when they go on a raid. Those that are able to bribe their way out of the arrest do so, and those who cannot afford to pay would be taken to the station and later to court for prosecution.? (Nigerian Tribune)

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