Police probe officers over alleged misconduct against corps member

The Nigeria Police Force in Lagos State has confirmed that officers accused of misconduct against a serving National Youth Service Corps member have been identified and are currently being investigated.

The command’s spokesperson, SP Abimbola Adebisi, made this known on Monday through her X handle, @AbimbolaShotayo, after a formal complaint was lodged by the corps member, Devcharlezen.

She explained that the complainant reported the matter to the command and supplied information that aided the internal review.

Adebisi stated that two officers have been officially queried, while another has been defaulted in accordance with disciplinary guidelines. She also praised Devcharlezen for stepping forward and commended his courage in sharing his account.

The response comes after allegations that he was wrongfully detained, harassed and subjected to attempted extortion by officers attached to Ladegboye Police Station in Ikorodu.

Posting on his X handle, @devcharlezen, he said the incident happened around 10:00 a.m. on Saturday while he was travelling from Ikeja to Epe.

He alleged that officers stopped his vehicle and, after checking his documents, began questioning him about his tribe, state of origin and purpose in Lagos.

“I presented my NYSC identification card, but the officers doubted its authenticity and instructed me to log into my NYSC portal for verification.

“An officer seized my phone and searched my private messages without consent, later accusing me of internet fraud after seeing conversations with a colleague,” he added.

He further claimed that he was forced into a police vehicle and driven around for nearly three hours, during which he was repeatedly pressured to admit to fraud.

According to him, an officer demanded 1,000 dollars from his cryptocurrency account and threatened to hand him over to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.

“When I agreed to be taken to the EFCC, they refused and continued driving,” he said.

Devcharlezen said his girlfriend was driven separately in his car and that her phone was taken during the incident. He alleged she later jumped from the moving vehicle out of fear and suffered bruises.

He also claimed his car was returned with scratches and mechanical issues that were not there before.

At the station, he said he was interrogated for about two hours, during which officers contacted his colleague and the chief executive of an application he was developing. After clarifications regarding shared ATM card details used for debugging, he said officers confirmed his identity and released him.

He further alleged that his NYSC cap was thrown away and his identity card torn during the encounter.

According to him, officers later asked him to write a statement suggesting the issue had been resolved, but he declined.

Describing the ordeal as traumatic and degrading, he insisted that no citizen should be subjected to such treatment.