The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) police command has detained four police personnel over the alleged extortion of Musa Aliyu, chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).

The Commissioner of Police in charge of the FCT, Ahmed Sanusi, said this while addressing journalists on Monday in Abuja.

Mr Sanusi said the command has also commenced an investigation into the allegation against the officers.

“We have about four policemen in custody as we speak who tried, not just tried, but successfully extorted somebody of high importance, unknown to them.

“This person is highly placed in society. In fact, in clear terms, they extorted the chairman of ICPC.

“When they finish trying them, we will bring them here so that you can see the thieves. I have made it clear here that you have to choose to be either a policeman or a thief.

“You cannot be the two at the same time, so you must choose one,” he said.

The CP said the suspects extorted N53,000 from the ICPC boss, who followed them very closely, and told somebody to send the money to him upon the officers’ demand.

According to him, they took the ICPC boss to a POS where he paid charges while the officers withdrew the money and shared it among themselves.

He said the suspects carried out the act outside their duty post, adding that the gang of criminals converged from various divisions and moved to the Banex area, where they mounted a checkpoint.

He said the four suspects perpetrated the act and fled before they were declared wanted and arrested.

“We are going to make sure that they are severely punished, while those to be dismissed will definitely be dismissed. This I can assure you.

“We were able to achieve this because it was reported to us. People can commit crimes, but if they report to us, we will trail them, and by the grace of God, we will get them.

“If you keep quiet out of fear of intimidation, out of fear of further harassment, you will be undoing yourself. If you tell us it will stop that fear, it will stop that intimidation,” he said.

The CP said police officers had no right to search residents’ phones in the course of their duties, except when the resident had been properly arrested and brought to the police station.

He said the search of individuals had been stopped due to abuse and destructive tendencies of some officers and men of not only the police force, but even other sister agencies.

“It has been instructed that nobody should search any phone, especially when you just arrest somebody on the road because you suspect the person to be a “yahoo yahoo” or so.

“This does not negate the fact that phones are also being used to commit crime.

“Before such a thing can happen, the person must have committed the crime, been properly arrested, and brought to the station,” he said.

According to him, when trying to uncover evidence, you can now search to see whether the phone or other items have been used to commit such a crime.

(NAN)