It started with a distress call from motorists who complained of alleged extortion at a busy Abuja junction.
Police officers were quickly dispatched to the scene, apparently expecting to deal with another roadside complaint.
But what they found when they arrived changed the direction of the investigation.
Three men were taken into custody. Two were serving police officers. The third was a former policeman who had already been dismissed from the Force.
Then came the discovery that raised even more questions. Police investigators reportedly recovered 15 drivers’ licences from the suspects.
The licences, according to preliminary findings, belonged to different members of the public.
The incident occurred on Tuesday, October 6, 2026, around Transcorp Junction, Maitama, Abuja, after the police received a distress call at about 2:50pm over alleged extortion by officers operating in the area.
Following the complaint, it was gathered, the Maitama Divisional Police Headquarters mobilised a team led by the Divisional Crime Officer, DCO 4, to investigate.
Three suspects including a dismissed officer from the Force were subsequently arrested.
It was further learnt that the recovered licences were found to be registered in the names of different motorists, prompting investigators to begin tracing their owners and establishing how the documents came into the suspects’ possession.
Preliminary information reportedly suggested that some motorists had their licences seized by the officers and were allegedly asked to make payments before getting them back.
The alleged payments reportedly ranged from ₦50,000 to ₦183,000 as investigators are now working to locate all 15 licence holders and obtain their statements to determine what happened in each case.
However, CSP Anietie Iniedu, the Force Public Relations Officer, could not be reached for comment as of press time.
