6 Police Officers, 4 Others Arrested For Extortion In Edo

The Edo State Police Command has arrested six police personnel and four civilians over their alleged involvement in an extortion syndicate targeting residents of Benin, the state capital.

Their arrest was disclosed yesterday in Benin by the command’s spokesperson, ASP Eno Ikoedem.

Ikoedem said the arrest followed a series of complaints from members of the public alleging harassment, abduction and extortion by individuals posing as police officers.

She said the suspects operated mainly on the Teboga axis off Aduwawa, where unsuspecting residents were often intercepted.

According to her, the suspects would forcefully convey their victims around the city and compel them to withdraw money through Point of Sale (PoS) operators under duress.

“The commissioner of police, Monday Agbonika, ordered a discreet, intelligence-led investigation and through sustained surveillance, technical intelligence and coordinated operations by operatives of the command, the criminal network was busted.

“This led to the arrest of the suspects and the dismantling of the criminal network,” she said.

According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the police mouthpiece added that preliminary investigations revealed that the suspects comprised six serving and one dismissed police personnel working in collaboration with three civilian accomplices, including a PoS operator and some commercial drivers.

“They formed a well-organised criminal syndicate responsible for abduction and extortion of innocent citizens, exploiting police accoutrements to deceive their victims,” Ikoedem said.

She said that serving personnel implicated in the case were undergoing internal disciplinary procedures, including orderly room trials, adding that they would be prosecuted after investigations were concluded.