The Lagos State Police Command has commenced an investigation into allegations that operatives of the Police Tactical Squad abducted and robbed a resident, Andrew Peter, in the Ikorodu area of the state.

Peter alleged that the incident occurred on Saturday, July 4, after he was stopped by officers at Ebute, Ikorodu, while returning home from a friend’s house where he had gone to lend him a MacBook charger.

According to him, the officers, who were travelling in a commercial mini-bus popularly known as Korope, ordered him to open the boot of his car before informing him they were investigating a cult-related case. He said they questioned him about his occupation, searched his phone and threatened to shoot him or seize his vehicle if he failed to cooperate.

Peter alleged that the officers stopped him at about 8:00 p.m., after which some of them entered his vehicle, while others remained in the Korope. He claimed one of the officers used a taser on him before forcing him into his car, where he was made to sit between armed officers as they drove from Ikorodu to Ketu.

He alleged that the officers forced him to unlock his mobile phone and banking applications before coercing him into transferring about N700,000 from his account.

According to him, the officers demanded N5 million and compelled him to contact friends and relatives to solicit additional funds, while threatening to kill him if he failed to comply.

Peter further claimed that the officers, whom he identified by their tactical jackets, communicated with colleagues in the accompanying Korope through WhatsApp using coded messages while exchanging bank account details.

He said the officers eventually abandoned him at the BRT lane beneath the Ketu bridge after switching off his two mobile phones and returning them to him before driving away.

Peter appealed for those responsible to be identified and brought to justice, insisting that no citizen should be threatened with weapons or forced to surrender money by law enforcement officers.

Reacting to the allegation, the spokesperson for the Lagos State Police Command, Abimbola Adebisi, said the Command’s Complaint Response Unit had contacted the complainant and invited him to provide additional information that could assist investigators in identifying the officers involved.

“The Complaint Response Unit has reached out to him via phone call. He has been invited to give us more details that can help in identifying the officers, as he could not identify any of them. We are still awaiting his feedback,” Adebisi said. (The Guardian)