Police Begin Probe Of Officers Who ‘Extorted’ N22m Bitcoin From 2 Lagosians

The Inspector-General of Police, Usman Alkali-Baba, has constituted a panel to investigate operatives of the Force Criminal Investigations Department (FCID) accused of extorting N22 million worth of bitcoin from some Lagos State residents.

The officers led by a female Deputy Superintendent of Police, Nwawe Cordelia, are said to be attached to the Alagbon, Lagos division of the FCID.

IGP Alkali-Baba ordered investigation of the officers after an online newspaper reported the alleged extortion.

The Force public relations officer, Frank Mba, in statement on Monday, said the police chief assured that “discreet and transparent investigations” would be carried out on the matter.

“This development has become imperative following the report making the rounds in the media alleging the involvement of the officers in the extortion of Twenty-Two Million Naira worth of Bitcoin from two young Nigerians, Morakinyo Tobiloba Peter and Yusuf Samson Dayo at gunpoint on July 14, 2021 while driving along the Ikoyi/Ajah Expressway, Lagos State.

“Consequently, DSP Cordelia and the other Police personnel allegedly indicted in the report, have been ordered to report to the Special Investigation Panel, Force Headquarters, Abuja, on Tuesday, 21st December, 2021 to answer to the allegations against them,” he said.

Mba said the investigative panel would be headed by DCP Olaolu Adegbite of the Force Intelligence Bureau (FIB) and an alumnus of the FBI National Academy, Quantico, Virginia, USA.

The police further urged members of the public with similar experiences with the accused officers “or any other officer at the FCID Alagbon to come forward with detailed information to enable the panel achieve a wholistic investigation.”