Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Carmen Diego
The Edo State Police Command has dismissed five serving officers after uncovering what it says was a criminal syndicate accused of harassing, abducting and extorting residents in Benin City, in a case that has become one of the clearest recent examples of police authorities publicly admitting serious criminal abuse within their own ranks. The command said the action followed multiple complaints from members of the public and an intelligence-driven investigation ordered by Commissioner of Police Monday Agbonika.
According to the police account, the group operated mainly around the Teboga axis off Aduwawa in Benin City, where victims were allegedly stopped, forced into vehicles, moved around different parts of the city and compelled under duress to hand over money through Point of Sale operators. In its statement, the command said the suspects posed as or acted like legitimate police operatives while carrying out the alleged crimes, using police accoutrements to deceive victims and thereby damaging the image of the force.
Police spokesperson Eno Ikoedem said the network involved both security personnel and civilian accomplices. Across the reports reviewed, the named suspects were ASP Bonny Paul Onajite, Inspector Ehubarieme Wisdom, Inspector Arebame God’s Power, Corporal Mordi Philip and Corporal Okon Elvis, alongside Goodluck Jaja, identified as a POS operator, Samuel Nicholas and Etim Bright, identified as commercial bus drivers, and Destiny Emmanuel, described as a dismissed police corporal. Multiple reports said the syndicate involved 10 suspects, but the names publicly listed in the statement total nine, leaving one apparent discrepancy in the official accounting that had not been clarified in the versions published by Monday night.
The disciplinary outcome is central to the story. Punch reported that the five serving operatives had already been dismissed, while the police statement as carried by The Nation and Channels Television said the officers were undergoing internal disciplinary procedures, including orderly room trials, after which they would be prosecuted. The difference likely reflects timing: the first reports appeared while the process was still being described administratively, while later versions framed the action as completed dismissal. By Monday afternoon and into Tuesday, the dominant reporting line was that the five serving officers had been relieved of duty and would face court after the ongoing investigation.
What appears consistent across all the credible reports is the substance of the accusation. Residents had complained about men presenting themselves as police officers who intercepted civilians, moved them around Benin and extorted money through POS channels. The command said the syndicate was busted through sustained surveillance, technical intelligence and coordinated operations. The police then appealed to members of the public who may have been victimised to come forward and assist investigators with further evidence.
The case also exposes a wider operational pattern that Nigerian police authorities have been trying, with mixed results, to stamp out: roadside intimidation, illegal detention, unauthorised checkpoints and forced cash withdrawals. Just about a day before the Edo case drew wide attention, Inspector-General of Police Olatunji Rilwan Disu issued a sweeping directive to commissioners of police and operational commanders nationwide ordering an immediate end to extortion, illegal checkpoints, harassment of citizens and the practice of arresting people and forcing them to withdraw money from ATMs. He said restoring public confidence in the force had become a top operational priority.
That broader order matters because the Edo allegations fit the exact conduct the IGP had just outlawed in emphatic terms. The Guardian and The Nation both reported that Disu acknowledged deep public mistrust of the police and described it as painful and unacceptable. He warned that a situation in which citizens fear the police as much as criminals could not continue. The Edo arrests therefore landed in a highly charged atmosphere, where senior police leadership was already trying to project a tougher anti-abuse posture.
The language used by Edo police suggests the command wanted this case seen not merely as routine indiscipline but as organised criminality. In the official description reproduced by major outlets and the Federal Ministry of Information’s Edo report, the suspects were said to have formed a “well-organised criminal syndicate” responsible for serious crimes including abduction and extortion of innocent citizens. The command further warned POS operators and merchants to avoid facilitating suspicious transactions for anyone, including persons in police uniform, saying any accomplice found complicit would also be arrested and prosecuted.
That warning to merchants is significant because it points to how the alleged scheme worked in practice. Rather than only collecting cash directly on the roadside, the suspects allegedly moved victims to POS points to extract money in traceable but coercive transactions. This method has become increasingly notorious in Nigeria because it combines intimidation, mobility and quick access to funds while making the extortion appear at first glance like an ordinary financial transaction. In the Edo case, police say civilian collaborators, including a POS operator and commercial drivers, helped sustain the operation.
There is also a reputational dimension. Edo police said the suspects’ actions brought the Nigeria Police Force into disrepute, and the command explicitly framed the crackdown as part of a broader effort to “sanitise the system.” That phrasing aligns with the line from the IGP that no form of extortion or oppression of civilians would be tolerated. In effect, the force is trying to show that internal discipline and public credibility now depend on visible punishment for officers who cross from misconduct into outright crime.
Even so, the case leaves unanswered questions. The reports do not yet state how many victims have been identified, over what period the alleged abductions and extortions occurred, whether money or equipment were recovered during the operation, or why the suspect count appears inconsistent between the stated total and the list of names published. Those gaps matter because they will determine whether prosecutors can build a case that goes beyond dismissal and establishes a larger criminal enterprise. For now, what is verified is that Edo police received repeated complaints, traced the operation to the Teboga-Aduwawa axis, arrested a mix of serving and former police personnel with civilian collaborators, and moved to remove the implicated officers from service while preparing criminal prosecution.
The significance of the Edo case lies in that final point. Dismissal is serious, but prosecution will be the real test. Nigeria’s police have often promised accountability after public outrage. This time, the command has named names, described a method, identified a location and pledged arraignment. Whether that promise is fulfilled will determine whether this becomes a turning point in accountability or just another scandal briefly acknowledged before the system moves on.
📩 Stone Reporters News | 🌍 stonereportersnews.com
✉️ info@stonereportersnews.com | 📘 Facebook: Stone Reporters | 🐦 X (Twitter): @StoneReportNew | 📸 Instagram: @stonereportersnews
Add comment
Comments