LASU Student Forced to Pay ₦500,000 After Police Officers Abduct, Harass Him
Officers of the Nigeria Police Force on Wednesday, abducted and extorted ₦500,000 from Izuchukwu Martins, a 100-level student of Lagos State University (LASU), in the Abule Ado area of Lagos.
The incident unfolded as Martins, a Political Science student, was en route to visit his uncle.
According to Martins, a commercial motorcyclist had warned him about police harassment in the area, advising him to walk to avoid trouble.
However, as he walked, two armed policemen, who were not in uniform, seized him and dragged him into a minibus, despite his protests.
Martins recounted his experience to SaharaReporters. “Yesterday (Wednesday), I was going to my uncle’s side, and as I reached Abule Ado area, the bike man (commercial motorcyclist) already told me that police officers normally harass boys around that area—Abule Ado bus stop, the bridge there. So the bike man told me to come down and trek so that I can avoid them.
“As I came down, I did not know they had seen us from afar. As I was walking forward, two policemen without uniforms approached me. They were armed, they were holding guns, but not in uniform. They dragged me inside the Korope (minibus). I was shouting, but they dragged me inside forcefully.”
Once inside, the officers searched him and confiscated his phone and wristwatch. They found nothing incriminating and then began targeting his bank account.
Martins said, “They started searching me. They did not see anything implicating because I don’t smoke. I don’t do all these kinds of things. They were trying to beat me and I asked them what I did? They asked me to open my phone, and I did. They checked my phone, and they started checking through my messages, and they saw my account balance.”
Although they found no criminal activity on his phone, the officers began making outrageous demands.
“They demanded ₦5 million before they could release me. There were three policemen with me inside the Korope—one was in uniform, and the other two who arrested me were without uniform. The one in uniform was the driver. They started driving, we passed Agboju, and they kept moving forward without heading to any station.”
At one point, the officers accused him of being a fraudster because of pictures of foreigners on his phone.
Martins explained, “I kept asking them what I did to warrant my arrest? That was when they said they saw Oyinbo (foreigners) pictures on my phone. I asked them, is that why I should pay ₦5 million? How would I gather that kind of money? I’m a student.”
Desperate, Martins offered to give them ₦20,000, but they rejected it. “I offered to give them ₦20,000, but they told me, ‘Do we look hungry?’ and rejected it. That was when they demanded ₦500,000, which I did not know they had seen on my account balance. I told them I can’t afford that money, but they insisted I had it and showed me my account balance.”
He was then coerced into transferring the money to an Opay account one of their colleagues provided.
“They did not give me their personal account. So they called one of their colleagues, who gave us an Opay account, and I paid them twice. I don’t know their names, but if I see them, I can recognise them,” he added.
A pro-democracy group, Take-It-Back Movement, has taken up the case and intends to ensure proper identification of the officers involved.
The Lagos Police Command spokesperson, Benjamin Hundeyin, has yet to respond to requests for comment.
Titilope Adako is a talented and intrepid journalist, dedicated to shedding light on the untold stories of Osun State and Nigeria. Through incisive reporting, she tackles a broad spectrum of topics, from politics and social justice to culture and entertainment, with a commitment to accuracy, empathy, and inspiring positive change.
