9News Nigeria reporter was shocked to watch how some policemen from Idimu police station, Area M police command in Lagos state were taking advantage of helpless motorcyclists and extorting thousands of Naira from them.
According to the report witnessed and recorded by 9News Nigeria Reporter, Terrence Ezeoyibo, some policemen who claimed to be members of Lagos state Police Task Force had accosted motorcyclists around Idimu area and seized their motorcycles claiming that they broke some unrevealed laws.
On getting a call from one of the motorcyclists who requested for media coverage of the happening, 9News Nigeria reporter rushed to the scene and saw by himself how these motorcyclists were manhandled and forced to either relinquish their motorcycles or pay ransoms ranging from ₦10,000.00 to ₦20,000.00 respectively.
9News Nigeria reporter had approached the policemen and inquired on their reason for seizing the motorcycles from their owners, and was told that the motorcyclists had broken some laws and that their motorcycles will never be released back to them except at the order of the Lagos state Police Commissioner.
The reporter had asked the policemen how possibly they think these poor young motor bike taxi riders could have access to the Lagos state Police Commissioner and plead for the release of their bikes, but the policemen insisted that that was the only solution to get the bikes released back to their owners.
To his amazement, 9News Nigeria reporter watched patiently as the policemen began to release some of the motorcycles to their owners. He then approached some of the victims who explained that they were actually told that they must either pay some bribe or watch their motorcycles taken to Alausa Ikeja.
According to individual accounts from the motorcyclists, they were asked respectively to pay bribe amounts ranging from ₦10,000 to ₦20,000 before they could secure the release of their motorcycles or else they will have to go to Alausa Ikeja to claim them back.
So some of these motorcyclists actually had to pay the demanded amounts before they could have their bikes back.
While some who paid were wheeling away their bikes in agony, one of the motorcyclists confirmed that he paid ₦10,000 to the policemen, but was yet to receive back his motorbike.
9News Nigeria reporter was able to collect phone numbers from the victims in case anyone from the police heads would like to confirm the incidence from the victims and get their monies refunded.
