Police Abduction, Extortion Resurge Despite EndSars,   Disbandment of SARS

Esther Oluku and Osho Oluwatosin

Nigerians have continued to face police brutality, abduction, and extortion despite the disbandment of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) following the EndSARS protests.

Recent incidents highlight a resurgence of human rights violations by the Nigerian police, raising concerns about the effectiveness of government reforms and the lingering culture of impunity within the police force.

One of the recent victims of police extortion is Nigerian actor Bobby Nnamdi, who shared his ordeal on social media.

In a series of tweets he shared on X, the Nigerian actor narrated that he was on his way to get drinks for his friend’s birthday when they arrested him alongside his friends. He stated that the officers harassed him and took him to Area F where they asked them to pay N500,000 to secure their release.

Nnamdi explained further that his phone was forcefully collected from him and was only saved by his friend who saw his tweet and came to bail him out. However, he had to part with N100,000 before he could be released for committing no offence.

He wrote: “On my life, I hate the police so much. I was out to get drinks for my friend’s birthday last night and these people popped out of nowhere and arrested us. I repeatedly asked what my offence was, but they didn’t answer. I was harassed and dragged into a yellow bus and also harassed.

“I put the tweet out inside the bus and immediately after they forcefully collected my phone and took us to Area F. We got there and we were asked to pay 500k, lol. I refused. And they were threatening to lock me up.

“Luckily one of my friends had seen my tweet and had come to bail me. They collected N84,000 in cash from him and I transferred N16,000 before we were released. Till this moment, I don’t know what my offence was, but the Nigerian police harassed me, teased me, and extorted me of  N100,000.”

However, in an updated post, he mentioned that he has been able to get his money back after the intervention of a multimedia journalist, Ojukwu Justin.

A few days ago, reports had it that Nigerian policemen led by the Divisional Police Officer of Gwarinpa in Abuja, Babale Hamza Galadima, in a gestapo manner invaded Hotel VIMA in the 1st Avenue area of Gwarinpa, arresting all occupants and destroying properties in the hotel.

Similarly, the hotel guests arrested and taken to the Gwarinpa Police Division were asked to pay N500,000 as bail to secure their freedom, as revealed by the victims. This incident was also confirmed by the manager of the hotel who narrated that staffers were still detained as of Monday.

According to him, “At about 11:30 p.m on 14th of July 2024, some men of the Nigerian police stormed our hotel in a way that we thought was a robbery scene. All customers and visible staff were harassed, beaten and dehumanised, property was destroyed, and everyone on the scene was arrested and taken to the station.

“Some laptops were taken, money from the Front Desk was taken and some of our customers’ money was also taken.”

In June 2024, a human rights activist in Delta State, Harrison Gwamnishu petitioned the Inspector General of Police (IG), Kayode Egbetokun, accusing some police operatives in Anambra State of extorting $13,000 from a man. He said the money was meant for the man’s school fees abroad.

Likewise, some operatives attached to the Special Tactical Squad of the Nigeria Police Force in Abuja were arrested for extorting N30 million from a citizen in February.

The resurgence of police abduction, abuse, and extortion has raised questions about the effectiveness of the reforms promised by the government.

Despite the disbandment of SARS, it appears that the same culture of impunity has persisted. The government must take concrete steps to address police brutality, corruption, and extortion, so as not to ignite public anger towards another protest against the police.