Policemen abduct four men, extort N3 million from them

Daniel Ekugo

Four policemen attached to the Zonal Intervention Squad, Zone 2 with base at Obada Oko in Ogun State, Southwest, Nigeria have been arrested by the police for allegedly abducting four men and extorting N3 million from them.

The policemen were arrested by the Inspector General of Police Monitoring Unit, Alagbon Annex. They are being questioned for the alleged abduction of four men from Wanalack Hotel, Gberigbe area of Ikorodu.

Our correspondent gathered that the policemen stormed the hotel and whisked away the hotel owner, 51-year old Alhaji Semiu Tijani , who is a building contractor, the hotel owner and two others.

It was gathered that on their way, two of the victims were set free after paying a ransom of N500, 000, but Alhaji Tijani and the hotel owner were taken to their office at Obada Oko, Ogun State and detained.

A concerned resident in the area, simply identified as Abayomi told our correspondent that it was after the hotel owner, Waheed Alata paid a ransom of N2.5 million the following day before he could regain his freedom and told the community that it was policemen from the Zonal Intervention Squad Obada Oko who abducted them.

“In order to secure the freedom of Alhaji Semiu Tijani, we petitioned the IGP who ordered IGP Monitoring Team, Alagbon to investigate the case. That was how the four policemen were arrested and are now being detained at Alagbon.

“It is a case of kidnapping, extortion and robbery in the sense that they arrived the hotel without the knowledge of any police formation before carrying out the action. They forcefully collected the sum of N3 million and they were armed as at the time of their action so if I said it is kidnapping, extortion and robbery, I challenge anyone to come out and prove me wrong,” Abayomi said.

Another resident who craved anonymity said officers from the Zonal Intervention Squad has made free movement in and around Ikorodu area unbearable as they always come to arrest innocent people and extort huge amount of money from them.

“Our men can’t move freely anymore because of the activities of these policemen from Obada Oko; something has to be done and fast,” he said.