The Nigeria police said it could be possible the officer was using a handheld machine to verify vehicle registration details
After a video surfaced online showing a policeman in Lagos using what looks like an Automated Teller Machine card on another device that looked like a Point of Sale terminal machine after stopping an Okada rider, the Lagos State Police Command on Wednesday cleared the air on the matter.
After the video appeared online, many people raised alarm that policemen in Lagos state are now using POS to take bribe from motorists. It was gathered that the policeman caught in the act was posted to the Makinde Police Division.
The seven-second clip was filmed by a female motorist which caused serious buzz on social media. However, some residents close to the scene of the incident told Punch that policemen from the Makinde division sometime stayed at the junction to extort money from motorists and motorcycle riders.
“Extortion by policemen is not new here. There is a woman selling roasted corn down the road. They stay close to her place. But I did not witness the one in the video.” the resident said.
An executive member of one of the motorcycle riders association in the community, who watched the video, said it was not impossible for the policemen to do such a thing.
He said, “It is a normal occurrence around here. In fact, it happens on a daily basis. Those policemen always stay in that area to stop motorcycle riders and motorists. But I believe the man that was being extorted in that video is not the motorcycle rider. It must be his passenger, who could be a yahoo-yahoo boy (Internet fraudster). When policemen ask them (fraudsters) for money, they give excuses. The excuses may have forced the policeman to devise the method of the POS terminal.
“But for us as motorcycle riders, they collect between N5,000 and N10,000 when they seize our motorcycles. They have told us that we are their ATM. The policemen fond of this are from the Akinpelu and Makinde divisions.”
Another motorcycle rider in the community said cops sometime threatened to take them to the Special Anti-Robbery Squad where they would be detained for robbery.
“We all have been victims at different times. Sometimes, they ask us not to park close to banks or pick more than one passenger. They could say we have been asked to stop using a particular park and they will arrest us and start demanding money,” he added.
A resident listed some of the points of extortion to include Akinniku Street, Bolade Junction and Oshodi Express bus stop.
“There is nobody to call them to order; they just do as they like,” he said.
The state Police Public Relations Officer, Olarinde Famous-Cole, said the command was aware of the video, adding that the policeman involved was arrested and detained.
He said, “The policeman was on a stop-and-search on Tuesday. From what we gathered, he stopped a commercial motorcycle rider who was carrying a passenger with a bag. He asked the passenger what he had in his bag and he stated them.
“The policeman searched the bag and found the POS terminal and other documents. When he asked him what he was doing with the POS, the man claimed he was using it to pay utility bills and that he worked with an electricity distribution company.
“The policeman demanded a proof of identification and he tendered it. The policeman then asked him to go since there was nothing implicating on him. Unknown to all of them, a passerby was filming the scene without their knowledge.
“We arrested the policeman initially. But this morning (Wednesday), we saw the same commercial motorcycle rider and asked him to give an account of what transpired. The rider gave the same account, saying the policeman did not collect any money from the passenger.”
However, the Public Complaint Rapid Response Unit - PCRRU of the Nigeria Police Force has responded saying:
"Re: VIDEO - "Nigerian police man caught on camera using POS machine to collect bribe"
Nigeria Police Force once used handheld machines to verify vehicle registration details.
I'm sure we all know Bank requirements on issuance of PoS.
I CHALLENGE ANYONE WHO PAID 'PoS BRIBE' TO CONTACT PCRRU 24/7 via;
Calls Only: 0805 700 0001, 0805 700 0002 | SMS and WhatsApp Only: 0805 700 0003 | BBM: 58A2B5DE | Twitter: @PoliceNG_PCRRU | Facebook: www.facebook.com/PolicePCRRU | Email: complaint@npf.gov.ng OR PolicePCRRU@gmail.com
Our quick response will put a smile on your face.
PCRRU say No to Impunity.
ACP ABAYOMI SHOGUNLE.
ASSISTANT COMMISSIONER OF POLICE,
PUBLIC COMPLAINT RAPID RESPONSE UNIT (#PCRRU),
NIGERIA POLICE FORCE, FORCE HEADQUARTERS,
ABUJA.
#BailisFree."
