Nigerian Man Recovers ₦2 Million Extorted by Police Officers in Lagos

A Nigerian man has successfully recovered ₦2 million, including ₦40,000 in POS transaction charges, after allegedly being extorted at gunpoint by officers of the Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID) Alagbon, located in Ikoyi, Lagos.

The recovery came after a public outcry led by social media user @YemieFash, who initially reported the incident on X (formerly Twitter), tagging Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer (PRO), Ben Hundeyin.

In his post, @YemieFash revealed that the victim—a young man—was accused of trading cryptocurrency and was subsequently coerced by the officers to transfer ₦2 million to an account they provided. He added that the officers offered no receipt, formal charge, or identification, but the victim could recognize them and the exact office where the alleged extortion took place.

“Hello @BenHundeyin, I’m writing to bring to your attention a deeply troubling incident involving some officers from the FCID Alagbon office in Ikoyi,” the post read. “Yesterday, they forcefully extorted ₦2 million from a young man whose only alleged offense was trading cryptocurrency.”

Following the social media attention and appeal for justice, the case was escalated, prompting swift action from the police authorities.

In a follow-up post, @YemieFash confirmed the full recovery of the extorted funds, totaling ₦2,040,000 including POS charges. He expressed gratitude to the Assistant Inspector General of Police, FCID Annex Alagbon, AIG Margaret Ochalla, as well as PRO @mayegunAmina and the Nigeria Police Complaint Response Unit (@PoliceNG_CRU), for their prompt intervention.

“The ₦2,000,000 that was extorted has been fully refunded, along with the ₦40,000 POS charges. I sincerely thank the AIG of @FCID_ANNEX Alagbon, AIG Margaret Ochalla, for her intervention. Kudos also to the PRO, @mayegunAmina, and the @PoliceNG_CRU for their swift action,” he wrote.

He also disclosed that the officers involved had been detained and were expected to face disciplinary proceedings. He expressed hope that this development would serve as a warning to others in the force who abuse their power.

The news sparked widespread reaction on social media, with many Nigerians voicing their anger and frustration over recurring police misconduct.

Some notable reactions include:

• @sigint_nigeria: “I can bet my life on it that nothing is being done to those officers… They are more like kidnappers, even worse.”
• @daylearny: “I hope this assurance that they will be punished is not just by mouth.”
• @Olota48: “All these bad eggs are just too many. A law should be enacted where even the DPO gets punished for any officer’s extortion. That might force them to behave.”
• @_theEmmaa: “When are the armed robbers that robbed this victim going to see the inside of prison? This is armed robbery.”
• @OlaiyaOlay77887: “Wow! This is great news. Thank you for a job well done. May the Lord reward you.”
• @AyamTjay: “Another set of extortionists are already on the road. The NPF needs to stop recruiting people with no meaningful goals who see the police as a last resort.”