EXCLUSIVE: How, under fire, a female police officer, colleagues accused of extorting N22 million Bitcoin from young men in Lagos, forced a British returnees to pay $ 30,000 via a fictional petition

Other victims of the breakaway police team at the Force Criminal Investigation Department Annex, Alagbon Close, Lagos state, which forcibly extorted N22 million worth of Bitcoin from two young real estate developers, Morakinyo Tobiloba Peter and Yusuf Samson Dayo, in July 2021, have emerged.

Led by Cordelia Nwawe, a deputy superintendent of the police with serial number 14534, the criminal team has “rioted” across Lagos, arresting, assaulting and blackmailing innocent citizens who they believe have access to good money.

In the most recent episode of their criminal enterprise, the police team led by Nwawe coerced a returnees from the UK, Kanmi Adedire, on Nov.

Adedire, who lives in the UK with his two children and is a graduate of Obafemi Awolowo University, was visiting Nigeria with them in August and was going about his business when he encountered the criminal investigation team on that fateful day.

He was attacked by five police officers in a Toyota Camry car around 2:10 p.m. when he was leaving Banana Island and driving towards Turnbul Road in Ikoyi on his way to Magodo on the Lagos mainland.

After identifying and communicating that there was a petition against the owner of the Mercedes Benz GLE Adedire who was driving, the police ordered him to change to their office at FCID Alagbon.

Despite being asked to make a few calls to inform his lawyer and other family members of the situation he found himself in, the police refused and instead confiscated his two cell phones and his laptop, which was in the back seat of the car .

When they got to their office, they forced the young man to provide passwords for his two phones and laptops, which they searched for several hours to find incriminating items.

When that didn’t work, they further violated Adedire’s privacy by logging into his personal and business email accounts to print out documents from his correspondence with clients in the UK before forcing him to thumbprint and put them in front of a camera to keep.

Adedire requested to be found out what his crime was and asked police officers to show him a copy of the petition they allegedly had against him. t cooperate with them and ‘buy’ their freedom.

DSP Nwawe, who ordered her husbands to deal with the young man if he did not cooperate, threatened to send him to prison and even be promoted for it.

The police team asked for N100 million before letting him go, but eventually reduced it to $ 30,000 after the victim pleaded with them to lower the amount in fear for his life.

Only then did Adedire gain access to one of his cell phones so he could contact family and friends to get the ransom that the police officers put on his head.

After several desperate calls to his contacts at gunpoint, the victim managed to raise the full amount that was brought to the FCID office in Alagbon by one of his friend’s drivers that day around 8:00 p.m.

DSP Nwawe and her team of villains immediately received the $ 30,000, completed some paperwork, and approved Adedire.

As he was leaving the place, one of the police officers, who gave his name as Aigbe, told him that he could have been killed that night if he had not been able to provide the money asked.

Speaking to SaharaReporters from his base in the UK, the victim said on Wednesday: “When I was leaving, one of the police officers told me that I had to be a good man to raise the money they asked for that day. He said I could have been killed if I hadn’t paid the money.

“He told me to take a positive view of it, as I could have fallen into the hands of kidnappers and the situation could have been worse.

“I’m still traumatized from this whole experience. The people I thought I might find shelter from are the ones who turned my life into a nightmare for no reason.

“I was harassed and threatened with death for about six hours for not having committed a crime. They could not bring the said petition against me, even after I asked to see them. “

The victim’s lawyer, Dr. Tunji Abayomi told SaharaReporters that despite several petitions to police authorities on the matter, Nwawe and her team have not been fined for grossly violating Adedire’s law and illegally stealing $ 30,000.

He said: “We have written to the Deputy Inspector General of the Police in charge of Alagbon and even to the IGP itself, so far nothing has been done on this matter.

“It is sad that something like this can still happen in our country. It’s really sad.”

Aside from the fact that Adedire extorted US $ 30,000 for not having committed a crime, the police team led by DSP Nwawe reported 29 Internet fraudsters on the latest from SaharaReporters.

The young man who trades in cryptocurrency was stopped by the same team from Alagbon at a traffic junction around Lagos Island and moved into their office for no specific reason.

As with all of their victims, the police confiscated Ogunyemi’s cell phone before harassing him and threatening him with imprisonment and death for reasons he was never told.

“They stopped me at a traffic light and forced me to their train station. When we got there, they immediately started taking my photos and didn’t allow me to say anything or call anyone.

“They held me at gunpoint and forced me to sign a statement they wrote that I was an internet scammer.

“They later logged into my Bitcoin account and transferred all of the money in it, which I used to trade, to a wallet that belonged to one of the cops named Frank.

“They withdrew the entire $ 12,000 from my Bitcoin wallet because they did not commit a crime. You paralyzed me financially. I didn’t insult to deserve that kind of malice from them, ”he said during a conversation with our correspondent.

According to the story of SaharaReporters, like DSP Nwawe and her team in July this year forcibly bitcoins worth 22 million in the professional misconduct and abuse of office of the police team in Alagbon under the direction of DSP Nwawe.

Police spokesman Frank Mba said in a statement that a special investigative body led by DCP Olaolu Adegbite would conduct a discreet and transparent investigation into the allegations against the officials mentioned in the story of SaharaReporters.

“DSP Cordelia and the other police officers allegedly indicted in the report were instructed to report on Tuesday, April 21.

“The special investigation committee is chaired by DCP Olaolu Adegbite of the Force Intelligence Bureau.

“The police advise any member of the public who has had similar experiences of arbitrariness or blackmail by the officers concerned, their team or another FCID Alagbon officer, to provide detailed information so that the panel can conduct a holistic investigation,” said Mba in the explanation.

Nigerian police have built a notorious reputation over the years for corruption, arbitrariness and extrajudicial killings, and have committed more crimes in society than they have solved.

Police officers across the country are constantly harassing and blackmailing young citizens who drive elegant cars and dress in fine clothing, and violate their rights with impunity despite public outcry over their shameful activities.

The situation peaked in October 2020 when young Nigerians took to the streets to protest the police harassment, extortion and brutality.

The demonstrations quickly picked up speed and made headlines around the world in the weeks that followed.

In response, the police replaced the Special Anti-Raubery Squad and promised reforms in several areas.

But for over a year since that historic event, nothing has changed as renegade police officers continue to violate the rights of Nigerians – young and old.