Police query officers over alleged misconduct against corps member

2026-03-03 - 08:27

The police command in Lagos State says officers accused of misconduct against a serving National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) member have been identified and are under investigation. The command’s spokesperson, SP Abimbola Adebisi, disclosed this on Monday via her X handle, @AbimbolaShotayo, following a formal complaint by the corps member, Devcharlezen. She said the complainant reported to the command and provided details that assisted the internal review process. According to Adebisi, two officers have been formally queried, while one has been defaulted in line with established disciplinary procedures. She commended Devcharlezen for coming forward, expressing appreciation for his courage in speaking truthfully about his experience. The development follows allegations that he was unlawfully detained, intimidated and subjected to attempted extortion by officers from Ladegboye Police Station, Ikorodu. Writing on his X handle, @devcharlezen, he said the incident occurred at about 10.00 a.m. on Saturday while travelling from Ikeja to Epe. He alleged officers stopped his vehicle and, after verifying his documents, questioned him about his tribe, state of origin and activities 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 claimed he was forced into a police vehicle and driven around for nearly three hours, repeatedly pressured to confess to fraud. He alleged an officer demanded 1,000 dollars from his cryptocurrency account and threatened to transfer him to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). “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 confiscated during the ordeal. He alleged she later jumped from the moving vehicle out of fear and sustained bruises. He said his car was returned with scratches and mechanical faults that were not present before the incident. At the station, he said officers interrogated him for about two hours and contacted his colleague and the chief executive of an application he was developing. After clarification over shared ATM card details used for debugging, he said officers verified his identity and released him. He further alleged that his NYSC cap was discarded and his identity card torn during the encounter. According to him, officers later asked him to write a statement indicating the matter had been settled, which he refused. Describing the experience as traumatic and humiliating, he maintained that no citizen deserves such treatment. (NAN)