Police on Sunday announced that they had arrested a mobile policeman, Sergeant Onuh Makedomu, caught on a viral video, demanding N15,000 from a motorist.

Makedomu did not only collect N15,000 from the driver, but also begged him to tell other policemen on the road with him, that it was only N5,000, he collected from him.

The police hierarchy has identified him as a non-commissioned officer, with Force No 431625, Makedomu, attached to 49 PMF, but presently on special duty with the Safer Highways Patrol, in Lagos State.

In the four minute-video, Makedomu pretended to be calling another policeman, after which he told the motorist, who was secretly video-recording the transaction, that the person he just called would collect N10,000 out of the N15,000. He urged the driver to make the money N20,000.

The driver responded: “Oga, I can’t lie to you, please consider me. How much am I collecting? Please just consider me. I have been begging you for over 30 minutes, we are going somewhere. I begged you for N5,000, before making it N15,000.”

Beginning to thaw, Makedomu said: “Start driving, but not too fast. I know that you borrowed this money. I have already called that man; what I’m telling you now is a secret. I have been telling you to complete it, but you didn’t. You’ll remove N10,000 from that money and give me, you hold N5,000. When you get to where my colleagues are, if they ask you, tell them that it was N5,000 you gave me.”

The driver, in compliance with Makedomu’s directives, shared the money into two and handed N10,000 to the policeman.

Makedomu later made another call, saying: “What are we going to do about this guy? He has been begging seriously. He has no money. It was his boss that is behind, that he went to speak with, that gave him money.”

He said, “all right’ and then hung up. After a while, he got out of the car.

The video was later uploaded on the Internet and had been shared several times.

The Force, reacting to the video on its twitter handle, said: “The police officer caught on video collecting bribe from an innocent Nigerian has since been identified and arrested. The non-commissioned officer, Force No. 431625, Sergeant Onuh Makedomu, attached to 49 PMF, but presently on special duty with the Safer Highways Patrol, Lagos is currently undergoing Orderly Room trial on a two-count charge of Discreditable Conduct and Corrupt Practices at the Provost Department of the Lagos State Police Command.

“Meanwhile, the Inspector General of Police, IGP M. A. Adamu, has enjoined the good citizen, who courageously brought the inglorious act of the officer to the public domain, to meet with the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Lagos State Command, to recover the money extorted from him by the delinquent officer.” (New Telegraph)

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