A man has accused the Police at Eleyele in Ibadan, Oyo State, of extorting his friend through a Point of Sale (POS) agent following an arrest without offence while driving on the morning of May 6.

The complainant said his friend was driving on Olusoji Road along Oluyole in Ibadan when the police arrested him “for absolutely nothing” despite presenting the required particulars, which they did not bother to check.

“He told them to check the papers, that they were complete but they said they did not need to check it. They asked if they resembled police officers who check particulars,” he wrote.

“They went ahead and asked for his phone, and he gave it to them to avoid ‘stories that touch.’”

The officers insisted that he should follow them to the police station. But at the station, they tried to detain him without informing him of his offence.

“Around 12pm, they finally gave him an option to pay N30,000 before he could be released or they would lock him up for doing absolutely nothing. He finally agreed to pay the N30,000 which he obviously doesn’t have much choice over,” he explained.

“They told him there was a POS shop in front of their station at Eleyele. He went there and collected N30,000, which he gave to these rogue police officers before he was later released.”

There have been reports of rogue police officers using POS to extort persons who do not have the demanded money. Police brutality and extortion are some of the issues Nigerians protested against during the #EndSARS demonstration of October 2020.

Adewale Osifeso, the Public Relations Officer of the Police in Ibadan, did not answer calls to his phone. Also, a text message to him was yet to be replied as of press time.