Akwa Ibom Police Investigate Claims of Extortion by Commanders

The Nigeria Police Force in Akwa Ibom State is looking into claims that police officers returning from a mission in Borno State were forced to pay N25,000 each as a "transit fee".

This claim was reported by SaharaReporters. The police command responded by saying that officers sent from Uyo to Jaji and back are not supposed to pay for their official transport.

Timfon John, the command’s spokesperson and a deputy superintendent of police, released a statement on Monday. She said the squadron is responsible for covering transportation costs for the officers.

"There is no authorised N25,000 transit fee, and officers are not required to fund their official transportation," Ms John said.

The command has decided to look into the claims instead of ignoring them. An inquiry has been ordered to find out what really happened and to identify anyone who might be responsible.

The statement mentioned that any police personnel who demanded or accepted money without proper authority would face disciplinary action and possible prosecution.

"The Command takes any allegation of unauthorised demand or collection seriously," the police said.

They also asked officers who know anything about these alleged payments to come forward with information through the right channels.

The command assured that the investigation would rely on evidence and be conducted fairly.

It urged the public to be cautious about the report and to wait for verification while the inquiry is ongoing.