Published 31st May, 2022

By Opeyemi Lawal

Yusuf Olawale, an Oyo State-based photographer, has narrated how Policemen from the Complaints Response Unit (CRU) in Ogbomoso, assisted him in recovering the N15,000 which was extorted from him by some police officers on May 30.

However, there is no evidence that the officers were punished, as the photographer only told FIJ the Police said “the police officers had been summoned to their Eleyele Police Command when he went to collect his money on Monday”.

Also, the Police did not name the guilty officials to him, although he personally identifed one of them as Atanda ‘Morewa’ from his name tag.

Olawale told FIJ that the policemen harassed and took the money from him while he was on his way to his photo studio.

He said the policemen questioned him on how he was able to afford an iPhone X, being a photographer.

“I was going to my studio on my motorbike when I was stopped by the officers around an area known as Caretaker. I immediately showed them my ID card, Camera and laptop,” Olawale said.

“Their squad leader also requested for my phone and after searching through it, he found nothing incriminating inside. That was when he asked me how a photographer could afford an iPhone X.

“Before I could answer him, my phone and motorbike were seized immediately and I was driven to Sunsun Police Station.”

Olawale said that when he got to the station, he was asked to pay N200,000 before his phone could be released to him.

“I insisted I didn’t have such an amount. I went on to beg them to collect N5,000 but they insulted me and showed me a Venza car belonging to their squad leader, claiming that they were poor policemen,” he said.

“I later pleaded with them to accept N15,000 and they accepted it, releasing my phone and bike back to me.

“Later, I complained on Twitter and tagged the Nigerian Police that some of its men had extorted me.