Police detain officers accused of N40,000 extortion in Abuja

A police officer allegedly involved. Credit: ChuksEricE | X

The FCT Police Command has identified officers accused of allegedly extorting N40,000 from a resident along Wuye-Utako Road, near Salem Church, in the Federal Capital Territory.

The Command said the officers depicted in a video circulating on social media had been identified and were in custody.

The Police Public Relations Officer of the command, SP Josephine Adeh, disclosed this in a statement on Tuesday.

“The attention of the Commissioner of Police, FCT Police Command, CP Ahmed Muhammed Sanusi, PhD, FCAI, has been drawn to a video circulating on social media alleging that police officers of the FCT Police Command extorted an FCT resident of the sum of Forty Thousand Naira (₦40,000) along Wuye – Utako Road, by Salem Church, within the Federal Capital Territory.

“The officers depicted in the video have been identified and are in custody,” the statement read.

The video, which began circulating widely on social media around August 24, features a man who claimed that on August 20, 2026, a police officer in Abuja collected ₦40,000 from him even after verifying that his documents were complete.

The man shared footage showing a receipt and a conversation after he returned to the checkpoint.

Adeh said the Command had also invited the complainant to the FCT Police Command Headquarters to give an official statement on the incident to aid investigation and disciplinary action.

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“He can reach out to the Command’s Public Relations Officer via 07038979348 or 08180382808,” the PPRO said.

The Commissioner of Police, FCT Command, CP Ahmed Sanusi, reiterated that the Command would not tolerate any form of extortion, abuse of authority, misconduct or unprofessional conduct by police personnel.

“Any officer found culpable after due investigation will be subjected to appropriate disciplinary and legal action in accordance with extant laws and regulations,” the statement quoted Sanusi as saying.

The Command called on members of the public to report cases of police misconduct and provide relevant information that could assist investigations.

PUNCH Online reports that this incident occurs against a backdrop of repeated public complaints about police extortion at checkpoints in Abuja.

In June 2026, CP Sanusi publicly warned officers against extorting commercial tricycle (Keke Napep) and motorcycle (Okada) operators, stating that any officer found doing so would be treated as a thief rather than a policeman.

In July 2026, the Command detained four officers and ordered their orderly room trial after they allegedly abandoned their posts, mounted an unauthorised checkpoint and extorted about ₦52,000 from the Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, Musa Aliyu, SAN.