DPO extorts N200,000 from men with iPhones, removed

The Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Idowu Owohunwa, has ordered the removal of the Divisional Police Officer of the Meiran Police Station in Lagos State over alleged extortion.

This follows the accusations by an engineer, Ibrahim Saliu, who spoke with PUNCH Metro, that some policemen attached to the Meiran Police Station in Lagos State extorted N200,000 from him on Saturday.

According to Saliu, the officers, alongside the station’s DPO, threatened to send him and his brother in jail should they fail to provide receipts for the phones seen with Saliu’s brother.

He said, “The DPO took the iPhones, removed the warranty stickers, and declared that my brother and I are thieves and armed robbers.

“The next thing I heard was the DPO giving them an order to detain us and that we would be locked up for stealing and armed robbery. We were surprised and we started begging.”

Saliu disclosed that he was asked to make a N500,000 payment to secure their freedom. They agreed to N200,000, paid in cash per the officers’ order.

In a tweet confirming the incident Wednesday, the state Police Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Hundeyin, disclosed that the CP Lagos has ordered the immediate removal of the Meiran Police Station DPO.

Hundeyin wrote, “CP Idowu Owohunwa has ordered the immediate removal of DPO Meiran for leadership dereliction and supervisory ineptitude.

“Meanwhile, all the officers involved have been identified and are currently at the Command headquarters where their orderly room trial has commenced.”