How police officers extorted ₦150,000 from me in Lagos – Victim

A young man, Ramadan Adenola, 21, known as Netrovert on social media platform X, accused officers of the Nigeria Police Force of extorting him and his coworker during a stop-and-search operation in Lagos.

Adenola detailed his experience on Sunday in a series of posts on X, stating that he was going from Ikeja to Berger when three armed police officers stopped his Bolt ride near Under Bridge.

According to him, despite complying with their search and presenting his identification, the officers forced him and his companion into the back of the car and took them to Isheri Police Station.

“At the station, one officer seemed particularly interested in my phone. I explained that I am a writer and content creator, but he wasn’t satisfied. When he saw my Binance app, he called it ‘incriminating evidence,” he wrote.

He further claimed that after thoroughly searching his belongings and his friend’s luggage without finding anything illegal, the officers led them to an unfinished building behind the station, where they demanded ₦2 million for their release.

“Everything happened in a set of rooms behind their main office. In the unfinished building, the officer said: “Give us ₦2M ($1,298), and you can go.” Excuse me, sir, how much is my salary? How much is your own salary?

“I tried negotiating ₦20K for both of us. He said lai lai. We went back to the “main room,” he recounted.

Adenola said he tried negotiating the amount, eventually settling at ₦100,000, but another officer, noticing funds in his Binance and Trust Wallet apps, pressured him to send more money.

“I had already negotiated ₦100K with Officer 1. But then Officer 2 saw $300 in my Binance and asked why I couldn’t send that instead. It was clear he wasn’t satisfied with my offer. He checked my Trust Wallet, saw a few more funds, and almost flared up. Seemingly, Officer 1 was the leader, and we were already on “good terms”— if you can even call it that.

“Meanwhile, my mum’s call was ringing. Officer 1 kept asking what I use my money for. I told him I take care of my family. Maybe that struck something in him? Our Bolt driver was waiting outside the entire time. Officer 1 told us to pay him and let him leave,” he said.

He said that he was later forced to withdraw cash and hand it over to the officers before being allowed to leave after over two hours.

“What was supposed to be a 20-minute ride turned into a 2-hour extortion session that ended with: A free ride to the station for the officers; N150k stipend for a few weeks; Even a gate fee to leave the place. Was the police my friend in all this? No. They were my extorters,” he wrote.

Reacting to the allegations on Monday via X, the Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, CSP Benjamin Hundeyin, confirmed that the Complaint Response Unit of the Lagos State Police Command had taken up the case.

“The three police officers, attached to Isheri Division, have been identified and taken into custody by their DPO. The money too has been recovered, while efforts are being made to reach the complainant,” Hundeyin said.

He further stated that the Commissioner of Police, Olohundare Jimoh, had ordered the transfer of the officers to the Provost Office at the Lagos Command Headquarters for disciplinary measures.