Four Nigerian policeman, accused of setting up an illegal checkpoint to extort money from drivers, picked on the wrong man: the head of one of the country’s anti-corruption agencies.<\/b><\/p>\n
Musa Aliyu, who leads the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, has alleged that he was stopped while driving in the capital , Abuja, on Saturday, and forced to withdraw 53,000 naira (\u00a328; $38) from a cash machine.<\/p>\n
Police Commissioner Ahmed Sanusi accused the men of abandoning their official posts to set up the unauthorised roadblock.<\/p>\n
They now face a police disciplinary procedure that could result in their sacking. It is rare that these kinds of cases end up in court.<\/p>\n
Aliyu’s report of the incident to the police prompted what the commissioner described as an “intelligence-driven operation”. That led to the arrest of the alleged ringleader and subsequently the other suspects.<\/p>\n
In an interview with BBC Hausa, Aliyu explained what happened after he was flagged down on a busy road.<\/p>\n
“When I stopped, a policeman came to my car door. I wound down the window, and he told me to open my car, so I did.”<\/p>\n
The policeman then got in.<\/p>\n
“He then asked me for my driver’s licence. I brought it out, and he asked me to give it to him, so I did. Then he said he would take me to court for violating traffic rules. I told him: ‘Let’s go to court.'”<\/p>\n
But instead, Aliyu alleged, the policeman asked him for money by telling him: “You are a big man; you wouldn’t want your time to be wasted, but even if we go to court, you will be fined 52,000 naira.”<\/p>\n
“I asked him to give me his bank account number so I could transfer the money, but he refused.” Instead, Aliyu alleged, he went to a cash machine and withdrew the money.<\/p>\n
The national police chief condemned the officers’ alleged conduct in strong terms, warning that the command would no longer tolerate abuses of power.<\/p>\n
“You have to choose: either a policeman or a thief,” Sanusi said. “You cannot be both. If you fail to choose, your actions will determine where you belong.”<\/p>\n
Source: bbc.co.uk<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"