Lagos police commissioner removes DPO over alleged extortion

The Commissioner of Police for Lagos State, Idowu Owohunwa, has acted swiftly in response to the allegations of extortion. He ordered the removal of the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) in charge of the Meiran Police Station, Tony Abutu, in light of the reported extortion case.

It was disclosed that DPO Abutu, along with a team of police officers from his station, was involved in the extortion of N200,000 from a phone dealer, Ibrahim Saliu.

According to Saliu, the trouble began when the police detained him and his brother, Olaiya Murtala, for not possessing an identity card or receipts for the iPhones found with his brother. Allegedly, the DPO ordered his men to detain them on charges of theft and armed robbery, subsequently demanding a payment of N500,000 to secure their release.

Saliu stated that after much negotiation, they managed to settle for N200,000. Additionally, he withdrew N180,000 from a nearby POS operator and handed it over to the officers, along with the N20,000 he had on hand, to secure their freedom.

In a statement posted on the official police handle on social media, the Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Hundeyin, disclosed that the CP had ordered the immediate removal of the DPO. Furthermore, all the officers involved in this incident have been identified and are currently undergoing orderly room trial.