Four Nigerian policemen are under disciplinary review after an alleged bribery incident at a fake checkpoint in Abuja drew the attention of the country’s top anti-corruption official. Musa Aliyu, who heads the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, said he was stopped while driving in the capital on Saturday and pushed to withdraw 53,000 naira, about £28 or $38, from an ATM.
Police Commissioner Ahmed Sanusi said the men had left their assigned posts and set up an unauthorized roadblock. He said the officers now face a police disciplinary process that could end in dismissal, and he noted that cases like this rarely make it to court. The police response began after Aliyu reported the encounter, which Sanusi described as an intelligence-driven operation that led to the arrest of the alleged ringleader and, later, the other suspects.
Aliyu laid out his account in an interview with BBC Hausa. He said a policeman approached his car after he was flagged down on a busy road, asked him to lower the window, and then told him to open the vehicle. After handing over his driver’s licence, Aliyu said, he was told the officer would take him to court for a traffic violation. Aliyu replied that they could go to court.
According to Aliyu, the situation changed when the officer raised the issue of money. He said the policeman told him that, as “a big man,” he would not want his time wasted and warned that even if the matter went to court, he would be fined 52,000 naira. Aliyu said he offered to transfer the money and asked for a bank account number, but the officer refused. He then said he withdrew the cash instead.
