On Friday, December 20, some Nigerian Navy officers disarmed one of the policemen on illegal raid in Abuja, SaharaReporters has gathered.
The officer and his colleagues are attached to the Iddo Police Station.
According to SaharaReporters, it was learnt that the policeman lost his service rifle during an illegal raid on houses and schools around Bassa area in the Federal Capital Territory.
“They were picking people randomly. What they do is to park in front of people’s homes, wait for them to come out and then force them to their buses,” a source told SaharaReporters.
“While doing this, they saw some Naval personnel and asked them to enter their bus. Those ones asked what happened and one of the officers slapped him. They immediately disarmed the officer and threatened to kill him and others with his gun.
“They then went away with the gun and ammunition but I heard the police authorities have apologised. I’m not sure if the gun has been recovered.”
Speaking to SaharaReporters, the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) in charge of Iddo Police Station in Abuja, Solomon Majit confirmed the incident.
He however said his men were not on illegal raid.
“It’s true but the gun has been recovered. We were combing the area cause of the security situation in the FCT,” he said.
SaharaReporters had reported how officers from Iddo station illegally arrested over 20 Nigerians under the guise of security raids.
They were picked in front of their houses and schools on Friday evening around Bassa area in the Federal Capital Territory.
SaharaReporters reports that the young men were handcuffed and treated by the policemen like criminals.
“I just stepped out of my house and I saw a bus parked beside me, before I knew what was happening, they forced me to enter the bus. I asked what I did and one of the officers slapped me.
“After my arrest, in same Bassa, about seven other young men were arrested in same pattern. Some were even arrested in front of a community school. From there, they moved to Sauka and picked up as many as they liked.
“It was when we got to the station that we heard that policemen from the station had been illegally arresting people just to extort them.
“They then started requesting us to pay them different amount as bail because all of us slept in the cell till this morning. Imagine taking N50,000 from over 20 people, that’s a million Naira,”
one of those arrested had told SaharaReporters.
Another source added, “That’s how officers from the station do. I was once arrested around 8pm and forced to pay N50,000 before I was released. I and others were beaten and forced to pay for our bail.”
