The Nigeria Police, Osun Command, on Friday, said police operatives caught extorting money from commuters along the Ile-Ogbo/Iwo Road, had been detained and would be made to face disciplinary action.
Lagos Panorama gathered that on Thursday, the Speaker of the Osun State House of Assembly, Adewale Egbedun on the plea of some commuters accosted police personnel extorting motorists especially commercial transporters along the Ile-Ogbo/Iwo axis.
The commuters it was also gathered were adherents of the Osun deity who were on their way to Osogbo for the annual Osun-Osogbo festival billed for Friday, August 11, 2023.
The command’s Public Relations Officer (PRO), SP Yemisi Opalola, who said this in a statement in Osogbo, confirmed that the affected officers had been arrested over their unprofessional and unethical conduct.
Opalola, who described their conduct as despicable, added that the command totally frowned and condemned the act of the officers.
“This is to inform the general public that the Osun State Police Command is aware of the viral video trending on social media showing some policemen extorting commuters along Ile-Ogbo/Iwo axis.
“The Police officers involved in this unprofessional and unethical behaviour have been identified, arrested and detained.
“The command frowned and condemned the act in totality as the erring police officers are currently in detention since Thursday, 10 Aug., 2023.
“They are undergoing investigation and eventual disciplinary procedure of orderly room trial for their unprofessional conduct while the senior officer among them have been queried accordingly.
“The Commissioner of Police, Kehinde Longe, wishes to appraise the general public, especially the good people of Osun State, on this matter.
“He said he will never condone any act of indiscipline and unprofessional conduct exhibited by any member of the Nigeria Police under his watch,” the statement indicated.
The News Agency of (NAN) recalls that Osun State House of Assembly Speaker, Adewale Egbedun, in company of some lawmakers, on Thursday, reprimanded some police officers caught extorting money from commuters on the Iwo/Osogbo Road.
The speaker’s vehicle was stopped by some residents to complain of the illicit activities of the men of the police force on the axis, forcing the speaker to intervene.
Three commuters going to Osogbo for the Osun-Osogbo Festival, were reported to have been pulled out from a commercial bus and were each forced to transfer the sum of N25,000 to the account of the police officers.
