• HURIWA raises alarm over ‘worsening’ corruption in security agencies
The Abia State Police Command has launched an investigation into an alleged extortion attempt by one of its officers in Umuahia.A viral video showed a traffic officer allegedly trying to extort money from a commercial tricyclist (Keke NAPEP rider) at Azikiwe Road by Aba Road junction in Umuahia.
In the video, a woman’s voice was heard urging the tricycle driver not to give money to the traffic police officer, as allegedly demanded by him. She insisted that the officer had requested money, although the officer claimed he had not asked for a bribe.
Reacting, the spokesperson for the Command, DSP Maureen Chinaka, said the Command was aware of the video trending on Facebook and confirmed that the officer involved had been identified.
“The officer involved has been identified, and an investigation into the incident is ongoing at the state Criminal Investigation Department (SCID).
“The Commissioner of Police, Abia State Command, CP Danladi Isa, reiterates the Command’s zero tolerance for any form of unprofessional conduct that may tarnish the image of the Force,” she said.
Chinaka assured the public that, in line with the vision of the Inspector-General of Police, officers and men of the Abia State Police Command would continue to be professional, service-driven, rule of law-compliant, and people-friendly in the discharge of their duties across the state.
Meanwhile, the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has raised the alarm over what it described as the worsening state of the Nigeria Police Force, accusing officers of turning the institution into a den of robbers and extortionists.
The group also accused the military of widespread corruption in the South-East, alleging that soldiers at checkpoints routinely harass and extort motorists. It warned that the unchecked excesses of security operatives were fuelling public anger and undermining the credibility of law enforcement nationwide.
In a statement issued in Abuja by its National Coordinator, Emmanuel Onwubiko, HURIWA stated that the Police Service Commission and service chiefs had failed to enforce discipline and professionalism among their operatives, leaving citizens vulnerable to abuse.
He said: “The Nigeria Police Force is looked upon by decent onlookers as a tolerable ground for armed robbers disguising as police operatives whose stock in trade is to continuously harass citizens and engage in running massive extortion rackets.”
Onwubiko also accused soldiers of misconduct, urging the Chief of Army Staff to end “the wanton and massive corruption openly taking place in the hundreds of roadblocks mounted by soldiers in the South-East.”
The group cited several cases of police involvement in criminal activities, including the arrest of Inspector Ojo Oloruntobi and three others in Edo State for armed robbery and extortion, and the case of four Abuja inspectors who allegedly extorted N151.5 million from a Lagos family.
It also recalled a viral video in which police officers were caught demanding either N5,000 or five litres of fuel from motorists who could not provide documents.
HURIWA further highlighted the case of Lagos businessman, Olawale Iyanda, who was allegedly abducted, tortured, and forced to pay N2 million by policemen attached to the Force Criminal Investigation Department in August. The group said hundreds of similar incidents go unreported because victims are often threatened with violence.
Onwubiko warned that ignoring the deepening crisis could trigger another wave of mass protests.
“We must learn a lesson from the nationwide protests against police brutality of 2020 so as to prevent the occurrence of a much bigger protests against pervasive police robberies,” he stated.
