‘Benjamin Ogunbodede, a TV and film producer, has narrated how police officers in Lagos followed him to the ATM to collect a N10,000 bribe last Saturday July 16th.
Benjamin, who shared the shocking experience with SR, said he was on his way home on Friday July 15th when he picked up a lady who was going his way. As he approached his destination, he drove into a checkpoint mounted by mobile policemen.
He was puled over and asked to hand over his drivers license which he gave to them…
They also asked for him to open his boot which he did. Seeing that he had nothing incriminating on him, the next question was his connection with the lady in his car. He said she was just someone he offered a lift. The officers then accused him of kidnapping and human trafficking.
“I told them I was just giving her a lift since I was going in the same direction,” he said
Not ready to let go, the policemen ordered him to get in his car and drive to Ajuwon Police Station, while the woman was asked to get into their patrol van. His plea that he should be allowed to call a family member fell on deaf ears as they seized his phone and other belongings.
He said at the station, a police officer searched through his laptop and phone, nothing incriminating was found. In their investigation, they found out his car had a different plate number.
“I explained that the former owner wanted to have his number plate back since it was registered in his name, so I had to make a change of ownership, got a police report and a new number plate. That also did not impress them,” he said.
The police officers afterwards accused him of adultery, alleging that the lady whom he gave a lift said she was a s*x worker and he was taking her to his place and will be paid N8,000 for her services.
Ogunbodede said he challenged them to bring the lady to him to repeat same in his presence. He told them he is unmarried and could not have committed adultery. The police officers then told him to forget all his explanations and just “settle them” or he will be locked up.
“Guy, leave story and settle us or you will be here longer than you can ever imagine” Ogunbodede quoted them as saying.
They forced him to write a statement. He asked the settlement they desired and they said N50,000. He slept in their cell and by Saturday morning, July 16th, he told them he could only pay N10,000. The excited police officers then delegated one of them to follow him to the bank where he withdrew N10,000 from an ATM at Ajuwon/Akute-Alagbole in Lagos.
“That done, I filled their bail form, and all my properties were released to me. The officers on duty made sure I didn’t get the Divisional Police Officer’s contact details posted on the walls of the station,” he said.
– Too many “bad eggs” in the Nigeria police.
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