Nigerian Police SIU Officers Accused Of Extorting N5million From Abuja Resident For Bail

SaharaReporters obtained receipts detailing how payments were made to the coffers of policemen and their proxies who extorted Ediagbonya, who is als a property agent. 

A senior police officer attached to the Special Investigation Unit (SIU), Abuja, Abiodun Adekunle Fasasi has been alleged to have extorted a sum of N5million from a businessman, Desmond Ediagbonya, as payment for bail.

SaharaReporters obtained receipts detailing how payments were made to the coffers of policemen and their proxies who extorted Ediagbonya, who is als a property agent. 

Sources informed SaharaReporters on Friday that the officer, Fasasi, was accused of orchestrating the extortion alongside a colleague after a controversial encounter at the victim’s residence in the Lokogoma area of Abuja.

According to the victim, the incident began on January 24, 2026, when Fasasi and another officer, dressed in mufti, stormed their victim’s apartment claiming to have a search warrant which they allegedly failed to present.

The victim, Desmond, noted that he refused to open the door because the officers neither showed a valid warrant nor identified themselves. He said his suspicion was heightened by recent cases of kidnappings in the estate carried out under similar pretences.

“I was alone at home, so I called my sister and a friend, switched on my camera and spoke to them through the window,” he said.

Angered by his refusal, the officers reportedly towed away a car belonging to his sister from the compound.

Two days later, on January 26, Desmond visited the SIU office alongside his cousin, Destiny Godlife Odion, and a friend, where they located the officers using the video evidence he had recorded earlier.

However, upon sighting them, Fasasi allegedly ordered the detention of Odion at the SIU facility, while Desmond was taken to Asokoro and held incommunicado, with no access to visitors. 

Sources told SaharaReporters that the officer subsequently threatened the detainees with multiple “trumped-up charges,” including cybercrime, drug peddling, tax evasion, money laundering, violation of privacy, and even allegations of homosexuality. 

Despite reportedly searching through Desmond’s phone and gaining access to his financial records, no incriminating evidence was found.

During their detention, Fasasi allegedly warned those seeking their release not to involve a lawyer or escalate the matter, a move the victims later described as a deliberate attempt to avoid scrutiny.

The officer initially demanded N10million for their bail but later reduced the amount to N5million after negotiations. SaharaReporters obtained receipts showing that the payment was made in several tranches before the detainees were released on February 3, 2026.

Efforts to seek internal redress reportedly proved abortive. The Officer in Charge of the SIU, Moses Jolugbo, was said to have been approached but failed to take meaningful action. 

Even after their release, Desmond’s mobile phone was not returned, with the officers claiming it was being held for forensic investigation.

In a bid to resolve the matter, a senior officer said to be rank of an Assistant Inspector General, reportedly intervened and directed that the N5million be refunded. However, the officers allegedly denied collecting the money and refused both to return the funds and release the phone.

The victim insists that the money was raised through loans.

He has also questioned the delay in conducting the purported forensic analysis, noting that the officers appeared to have made no progress on the device.

Desmond called on the Inspector General of Police, Olatunji Disu, and relevant authorities within the Nigeria Police Force to investigate the allegations and ensure justice is served.

“This is not just about me,” he said. “There are many others who cannot speak out—people who remain in detention simply because they cannot meet these illegal demands.”

The case adds to growing concerns about allegations of extortion, abuse of power, and impunity within the Nigeria Police Force, as Nigerians continue to demand accountability and systemic reform.