Lagos Police Reimburse N100,000 Taken from Returnee by Officers Following Exposure by SaharaReporters

 

Following a report by SaharaReporters, the Lagos State Police Command has returned the N100,000 forcefully taken from Rahmon Olamilekan Adekunle, who had returned from Cyprus, by plainclothes officers on a Friday morning at the tunnel connecting Berger to the Magodo area.

The reimbursement occurred after reporters highlightedan incident where officers in plain clothes extracted N100,000 from Adekunlewhile he was en route to drop his girlfriend off at school.

Adekunle informed SaharaReporters that the police had repaid the extorted amount.

He expressed his gratitude towards SaharaReporters for bringing the malpractice to light, sharing that following the publication, police leadership got in touch with him to inform him that the culpable officers were identified and the extorted sum was recovered.

"I just got back the N100,000," Adekunle stated.

After falling victim to what he described as a "robbery" by the officers, Adekunle reached out to SaharaReporters, recounting the ordeal that unfolded as he was taking his girlfriend, who had an exam that morning, to school.

Officers Demand N100,000 From Returnee in Lagos Under Threat

On the date of April 12, 2024, officers not in uniform approached him just before 7 a.m., at the tunnel in Berger that leads to Magodo, seizing his phone.

"After reviewing my phone, they figured out that I had just arrived back in Nigeria; they then demanded I send N100,000 to a Point of Sale (POS) service provider nearby.

With his phone taken and no way to contact family or police officials, and his girlfriend's examination hanging in the balance, Adekunle felt compelled to comply with the payment to ensure they could proceed.

"I've reached out to SP Benjamin Hundeyin, the state's Police Public Relations Officer, with calls and a text message, but I haven't received a response. To this moment, I'm uncertain about the officers' station of origin," he expressed.

This narrative underscores the swift action taken by the police to rectify the extortion after it was exposed by SaharaReporters, showcasing the power of journalistic endeavors in addressing and rectifying wrongdoings within the community.