Nigeria: Senate Asks IGP to Probe Allegations of Extortion, Harassment By Police On Highways

4 July 2023
Premium Times (Abuja)
By Abdulqudus Ogundapo

The Senate also urged the IGP to ensure the training and retraining of police personnel to be civil to citizens.

The Senate has condemned the continuous extortion and harassment of motorists and commuters by officers of the Nigerian police on the highways.

This was a sequel to a motion moved by Onyekachi Peter (APC, Ebonyi North) at the plenary session on Wednesday.

Four days ago, a video surfaced on the internet where some officers of the police attached to Ekpoma Division in Edo State ran over a handcuffed man with a Sienna patrol vehicle for allegedly refusing to allow the officers to check his mobile phones.

The man sustained injuries before being rushed to the hospital for treatment.

On Saturday, the Edo State Commissioner of Police, Mohammed Dankwara, said the officers involved in the act had been arrested and detained.

At the plenary today, Mr Peter said the stop and search operation conducted by the police on the country's highways is an attempt to take "undue advantage" of motorists and commuters.

He prayed the Senate to call the acting Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, to direct personnel of the force to stop the extortion and harassment of motorists and commuters plying the highways in the pretence of conducting stop and search.

Many senators amended and added to the motion's prayer when it was thrown open for debate.

The Minority Leader, Simon Mwadkwon (PDP, Plateau North), made an additional prayer that the police should embark on training and retraining their personnel to ensure that the officers are civil while carrying out their duties.

Other senators who contributed to the motion were Ishaku Abbo (APC, Adamawa North); David Jimkuta (APC, Taraba South), Victor Umeh (APGA, Anambra Central) and the Deputy Senate President, Barau Jibrin.

The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, granted the prayer for the acting IGP to train and retrain officers to be civil to citizens.

Mr Akpabio also urged the police boss to set up a committee to investigate the accusations of extortion, harassment and killing against the officers.

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