Two women have alleged that officers attached to the Asokoro Division of the Nigeria Police Force in Abuja extorted N300,000 from them after unlawfully arresting them at Millennium Park, Maitama, on Wednesday.
One of the victims, Favour Ahgu, told revealed that the incident occurred when she and her friend, who had just arrived in the city, decided to unwind at the popular park with food and a bottle of wine.
According to Ahgu, what began as a casual afternoon outing turned into a distressing ordeal around 4 p.m. when a group of police officers arrived at the park and began rounding up individuals.
“They first targeted a group of young men who were smoking in public and took them away,” she recounted.
“Then, two men in plainclothes walked toward us. One of them pointed in our direction and said, ‘Why are you leaving these ones? Are they not part of them?’ even though we had no connection with the smokers.”
Ahgu said the officers, without further explanation, handcuffed both her and her friend, seized their mobile phones, and ordered them to pack up their belongings. She added that the officers demanded a bribe of N500,000 to avoid taking them to the police station.
Despite their protests and insistence that they were innocent and not involved with the smokers, the officers proceeded to transport them to the station. There, the women were allegedly subjected to intimidation and coerced into paying N300,000 to secure their release.
Ahgu recalled that there were a total of seven detainees that day, and each was assigned to a different officer for interrogation. The officers reportedly demanded that each detainee provide evidence to prove they were not involved in any wrongdoing a near-impossible request.
“They kept saying we should prove we were innocent, but how do you prove you didn’t do something you never did?” she asked.
“Eventually, they said they would ‘work something out’ but increased the amount to N400,000.”
The negotiation reportedly continued until Ahgu and her friend agreed to pay N300,000. One officer, identified as Usman Abushieye, allegedly received a transfer of N100,000 via his Opay account. The remaining N200,000 was withdrawn by Ahgu’s friend from a nearby POS operator and handed over to the officers.
After making the payment, the women were asked to fill out a bail form. They were then taken to a senior officer, said to be the Divisional Police Officer (DPO), who introduced himself simply as “Peter.”
“He gave us a lengthy lecture about how smoking is a vice and tried to link us to it,” Ahgu said.
“When I insisted we didn’t smoke, he became agitated. We apologized just to avoid further trouble. He finally let us go.”
Ahgu also believes that the men arrested for smoking were each extorted to the tune of N200,000.
When journalists attempted to contact the officer whose Opay account received part of the bribe, the number was picked up by someone who identified himself as his brother. The man promised to inform the officer of the inquiry.
By Monday morning, Abushieye called Ahgu using a different phone number and questioned her about whether she had spoken to the media about the incident. FIJ then contacted him through the new number, but he denied having any knowledge of the incident or receiving any money.
He further alleged, without evidence, that the women were caught on camera engaging in both drug use and same-sex acts — an accusation that appeared to be an attempt at intimidation. When pressed to provide proof, he instead invited the reporter to visit the police station in person.
Call for Accountability
The incident has once again drawn public attention to the issue of police misconduct and abuse of power in Nigeria. The actions of the officers, if proven true, would represent a serious violation of citizens' rights and professional ethics.
Legal experts and civil society groups have called for the immediate investigation of the Asokoro police division and the officers involved. Many believe that without accountability, the culture of extortion, harassment, and intimidation by security agencies will persist.
The Nigeria Police Force has not yet issued an official statement on the matter.
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