‘Lagos, Rivers police commands top cases of extortion, molestation’
APOLICE report has indicated that Lagos and Rivers state police commands top others in cases of extortion of money and molestation of citizens.
The report which was released on Monday for the third quarter of the ongoing year said the two states have the highest number of cases of irregularities among personnel of the commands between July and September under review.
The nation’s capital, Abuja trailed with third position just as Sokoto and Plateau states had zero cases of wrongdoing among personnel within the period.
A police bulletin released to this effect, covering the police activities between July and September 2017, also said within the period, an Assistant Superintendent of Police, (ASP), in the Lagos Police Command, was placed on suspension over allegation of extortion just as the sum of N834,000 being monies extorted from the public was also recovered and returned to their various owners.
ASP Bayo Obadiah, attached to the Area Command, Ikorodu, Lagos State,according to the bulletin from the Police Public Complaint Rapid Response Unit, (PCRRU),HAS been suspended over allegations of extortion while 16 other policemen were sanctioned for professional misconduct.
The report added that as a result of targeted campaigns across the country, two terror suspects were apprehended following the PCRRU face-to-face confidence building with citizens in Akoko Area of Ondo State.
The report named part of the money recovered to include N100,000 previously extorted from a woman in Kano State, who reportedly got her money after she contacted the PCRRU.
“A total number of 764 complaints were recorded in the Q3 2017. With Lagos State Command topping the state ranking table (in percentage terms) with 180 (23.56), followed by Rivers State with 102 (13.35) and Fct-abuja 87 (11.39). Sokoto and Plateau State Commands recorded no complaint in the period under review,” the report said
Most of these, according to the statement, were achievable with the collaboration and support received from partners “which has provided for a notable increase in rate of engagement between PCRRU and members of the public in Q3 2017 (i.e. July – September) than in the same period in 2016.
The statement disclosed that efforts were ongoing to upgrade the PCRRU call centre so as to improve the efficiency of the unit just as it added that several massive sensitisation campaigns were carried out in selected states, while helicopter airdrops were carried out in Kano and Kaduna States, face-to-face dissemination were carried out in Borno and Ondo States by PCRRU agents.
Phone call, according to the report, was the most preferred channel by members of the public for lodging complaints with 447 (58.5), Whatsapp 203 (26.57), Twitter 19 (2.49), Facebook 6 (0.71), SMS 3 (0.39), BBM 1 (0.13) and others (Written Petition, Media Publications etc.) 29 (3.80).