Policemen from the Federal Capital Territory Criminal Investigation Department have allegedly threatened a surveyor , Bayo Benson, over a report by
PUNCH, where he claimed some officers extorted money from him .
Benson told our correspondent that one of the officers , Bimbo Oyewole , bombarded his phone with calls and threatened to deal with him .
PUNCH Metro had reported that the police arrested Benson on Friday , August 14 , 2020 , in Lakowe , in the Ibeju - Lekki area of Lagos State .
His house and office in the Itamaga area of Ikorodu were also ransacked by the policemen , who claimed to be acting on a petition against a company he worked for .
Benson, in an interview with our correspondent , had alleged that the policemen collected N 300, 000 from him before he was released , adding that his apprentice was also detained for recording their activities , while his cars and some documents were seized .
The victim said after the report was published, the Investigating Police Officer, Oyewole , who had not been taking his calls, started making threats against him .
He said , “ After the publication came out on Friday , the IPO called me around 11 am . He said I must write an apology in the newspaper that published my story or else they are going to deal with me.
“ He called me back around 5 pm that they were waiting for me at Area G , Ogba , and I told him that I had not returned to Lagos and that I could send my lawyer to them the next day if they wanted to release my two vehicles and documents to me.
“ I sent my lawyer to the police station the next day , but he was told that they could not ask him what they wanted to ask me, and that I must come . I told them that I could not come because that was the tactics they used when they wanted to detain my apprentice.
“ When I told him that I could not come , he started threatening my surety that if he did not bring me to the station , they would arrest him , but I told them that if they wanted to release my cars and documents , they should give them to my lawyers , and if they did not want to release them , they should charge me to court and I would appear .
“ I have written a petition to the Inspector -General of Police to investigate the gross abuse of power by the policemen and order the release of my vehicles and documents . ”
The FCT Police Public Relations Officer, Anjuguri Manzah , said Benson was under investigation for malicious damage and attempted murder .
He said , “ The subject of the petition against the man in question is malicious damage and attempt to commit murder and when the command was carrying out investigation on the issue , he was mentioned by other persons arrested that he was the one that led the thugs who went to carry out the act . The vehicles impounded are the subject of the crime because they were used to convey the thugs to the location ; one other vehicle impounded in his house has a siren that does not have a licence .
“ On the issue of extortion , he has every right to approach the complaint unit or write to the Commissioner of Police for investigation . ”
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