The Nigeria Police Force Public Relations Officer, ACP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, has urged Nigerians to take action against police extortion at checkpoints instead of merely tagging him and the police on social media to complain.
Adejobi made this statement on X (formerly Twitter) while responding to a user who complained about their experience during a road trip from Abuja to the South-East region.
The user, @grandmasta_01, alleged that police officers were heavily extorting motorists and causing delays for those who refused to pay.
“A road trip from Abuja to the SE leaves one in awe of the misdemeanors of your men and officers against motorists. The extortion are mindless. They are reckless in extorting motorists. Our vehicle dropped money at every checkpoint or you risk being parked for a long time,” the user said.
Another user, @kingmanuel700, also shared evidence of N25,000 he claimed was extorted from him by police officers in Edo State. He wrote, “Help me tag @Princemoye1 I still got extorted too cause I was a victim even when I showed them my NYSC Id card.”
In response, Adejobi encouraged Nigerians to refuse to bribe police officers, saying that it is better to be delayed than to support corruption by paying bribes.
“We all need to play our role to curb the menace of extortion. This matter has been addressed severally. It’s better to be delayed at their points than to dignify corruption or extortion. Why was your vehicle dropping money at every point?” he said.
He further added, “Even you, with your comment here, you are educated. What did you do to discourage that? Let’s act wise and be patriotic. Not to just come here and be tagging @princemoye1 or NPF.”
Adejobi’s remarks come amid growing concerns over police extortion and misconduct in various parts of Nigeria, particularly in the South-East.