Bribe-Seeking Policemen Detain Motorist After Demanding N50,000 For ‘Using His Name As Signature
A Lagos State resident, AbdulAziz Arisekola has narrated how operatives of the Nigerian Police Force attached to the Elere Police Station in Agege detained him for hours because he insisted he would not bribe them.
Arisekola stated that he was driving down Agege Road when he was stopped by three police officers, one of whom was identified as Talabi Sakiru, on Monday.
He stated that they asked all of his papers, which he provided, but that they had a problem with one of the documents, which was signed by name rather than signature, as the others were.
“At this stage I asked them to check Naira note and they would see that the CBN governor used his name as his signature, so there is nothing bad in using one’s name as signature,” Arisekola said.
He continued that his response made them upset and they said he had to follow them to their station.
“I complied with them because I knew if I reached their station, they would be told I did not commit any offence but I was surprised they did not carry me to reach their station. They asked me to park at one uncompleted building close to the Elere Police station in Agege,” he said.
He added it was at that point that they asked him to negotiate and demanded that he should pay N50,000 to free himself but he refused, insisting that he would not pay any bribe since he committed no offence to warrant such.
According to Arisekola, this prompted the police to detain him and seize his car key and paperwork from 3pm on Monday till late.
He said, “I was taken with them around 3pm on Monday and because I said I would not pay any money, they kept me with them.
“It even reached a stage when it was time to pray, the police officer prayed with me and I went to beg him after the prayer to release me, thinking his conscience would have returned because of the prayer, but he did not agree.
“This made me inform the Imam of the mosque, who now pleaded on my behalf, it was after then he reduced his demand from N50,000 to N5,000.”
Arisekola added that when he informed the police officers that he did not have any to pay them despite the reduction, he was asked to sell part of his car to settle to them.
“Not mindful the late hour, the police carried me to where I would see POS to withdraw for him, they released me and my properties after I eventually paid them N5,000,” Arisekola added.
