NSCDC sets up committee to investigate alleged N1m extortion

Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has set up a five-man committee to investigate alleged N1m extortion by its staff in Kebbi State.

The Commandant, Alhaji Suleman Ibrahim, while addressing newsmen, yesterday, at the Command Headquarters in Birnin Kebbi, said: “I have read a report online that my officers allegedly extorted money from a client. This has never been the tradition, as our core values include serving with integrity, honesty and diligence. I am not a party to such. I am not aware of it. I doubt if any of my officers would do such an illegal and unlawful act, but still, we take any allegation seriously and will get to its logical conclusion. A five-man committee has been set up by the command to investigation the extortion.”

Ibrahim said anyone found guilty would be dealt with accordingly.

It would be recalled that recently, an Automated Gas oil (AGO) Distributor, Mr. Jimoh Abdulmumin, a staff of Chidi Global Oil and Gas, Abuja, had sought the immediate intervention of the NSCDC Commandant-General over alleged extortion by the Command’s officials in the state.

Abdulmumin said: “A week ago, some operatives of NSCDC led by one Yarima Magaji, arrested me and my truck loaded with AGO, which has pure and legitimate backing with relevant documents.

“They claimed the product was adulterated and papers were fake. They kept me in their cell at their headquarters, in Birnin Kebbi for three days. When they continued to threaten us of continued detention, we started negotiating from N200,000… but Yarima insisted that he would not collect less than N1m for us to be released, because the state commandant will also have a share from it.

“After pressure from him, my boss asked me to call one of our customers in Jega to come over an plead on our behalf. Yarima refused to let us go. He vowed that his commandant would be given the money. Since our goods and truck were still at the Eid ground in Birnin Kebbi, we decided to give them what they wanted. I asked an attendant at the hotel, where I lodged at Jega Local Council, to bring the money in cash because Yarima refused to accept money transfer.

“The boy brought cash to him. He collected it and arrested the boy again. We had to pay N10,000 before he allowed the boy to go.

“He also forced me to speak in a video that he and his officers did not collect any money from us before he gave us the truck key.

“Yarima is still not letting us do our legitimate business in Kebbi, as he said we must be giving him N70,000 any time we come to Kebbi to do our business… “