By DEBORAH AKPEDE

The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Lagos State Command, CSP Benjamin Hundeyin, has called on members of the public not to pay any money while filing complaints at any police station in the state.

Hundeyin told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Lagos that police extortions should be reported to the Complaint Response Unit (CRU) of the command.

NAN reports that some residents had raised concerns over continued extortion by police officers who demanded money before accepting and documenting complaints.

These residents stressed that the Nigeria Police Force, including the Lagos State Command, used the slogan ?Bail is Free? to inform citizens that bail was free and should not be paid for but some officers still extorted members of the public.

A victim narrating his experience to NAN, alleged that two policemen extorted N7,000 from him.

?Police apprehended me in Meiran area of Lagos after my neighbour accused me of stealing his I-phone.

?At the station, they collected N2,000 before giving me a sheet of paper to write my statement.

?While writing the statement, the complainant came to the station to inform them that the phone had been recovered from another neighbour who stole it.

?Instead of the police to release me after the suspected thief had been apprehended, they demanded N10,000 bail. After negotiation, I parted with N5,000,? he said.

Another victim, an undergraduate, recounted how two officers apprehended him at Oshodi, took him to the station and extorted N4,000 from him.

?The police stopped me on the road during their stop and search operation, they took my phone and were asking for the receipt.

?I told them I do not have a receipt that it was a used phone handed down to me by my brother.

?They took me to the station and threatened to charge me with stealing and armed robbery, and I started begging. They eventually asked me to make a N10,000 payment to secure my freedom.

?I told them I only have N5,000 in my account, after checking my account balance to confirm the amount, one of the officers took me to a Point of Service (POS) operator to withdraw N4,000 for them, ? he said.

Another victim said that officers of another police division collected N12,000 when he went to report a case of burglary.

?Someone burgled an empty apartment in our estate and was living there illegally.

?When I went to the station to report, the police demanded N13,000 before I would be allowed to write a statement. I eventually paid N12,000,? he said.

According to the PPRO, extorting members of the public is a corrupt practise.

Hundeyin emphasised that people should stop paying to document a complaint or bail themselves.

?People should not succumb to extortion, rather they should make a formal complaint of officers who demand money for any offence to the state through CRU of the Lagos State Police Command.

?A person was asked for money, he called the CRU who weighed into the matter and he was released without paying any money.

?People should learn to take advantage of solutions that the police have made available,? the image maker said.

He added that the public could lodge complaints against police extortion and other misconduct by calling 09087482365 or via Whatsapp 09111111151.

He said the command?s Twitter account was @CruLagospolice; Instagram: policeng_lagos, or via Facebook: lagosCRU. (NAN)

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