Policemen operating with private cars and without uniforms, nametags and identity cards are hardly difficult to differentiate from armed robbers.

At 11:50am, March 4, 2017, a group of armed policemen riding in a grey Pathfinder SUV with registration number AGL 745 CE drove towards Ikotun roundabout in Lagos and started beating and harassing innocent citizens and extorting money from them at the same time.

The policemen, who only wore T-shirts with the inscription, “Anti-Kidnapping Squad” on the back, were led by a tall, thin, dark-skinned man with a short grey beard on his chin, who claimed to be an Inspector. The Inspector said that he and his team were members of the police Anti-Kidnapping Squad, and that they were in Ikotun to arrest kidnappers. They assaulted and harassed innocent youth in the area and each of them arrested had to bail himself with N5, 000. It was simply robbery in broad daylight!

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I’m therefore appealing to the Inspector General of Police, the Lagos State Commissioner of Police and all the authorities concerned to investigate the activities of the police “Anti-Kidnapping Squad” in the state operating with a private vehicle (grey Pathfinder SUV) with registration number, AGL 745 CE.

Authorities concerned must bring erring policemen of this Squad to justice and also ensure that armed policemen are henceforth barred from operating with private vehicles without wearing uniforms that display their name tags.

Muktar S. C. Muktaila writes from Lagos.