The Kwara state police command has warn it’s officers against extorting members of the public.
The state command of the force vowed that any of its men found guilty of extortion would henceforth be charged with armed robbery.
The state Commissioner of Police, Mr Kayode Egbetokun, who made this disclosure while recieving members of the Ilorin Emirate Durbar Committee in Ilorin yesterday, said his command frowned at any act of misconduct by uniformed men.
The police commisoner, however, said the force got demoralised with a recent publication from a group alleging that the command was extorting the people on the roads.
He denied that the officers of the command indulged in extortion of members of the public, saying that the allegation was to disrepute the police as an institution.
Egbetokun said the police was making frantic effort in ensuring that crime is reduced to the barest minimum in the state, adding that the people can now go about their lawful businesses without any fear of attack.
“Our officers are committed. We have tasked all our DPOs and Area Commanders to adapt to new level of transparency. They have been charged to start doing things that will inspire the confidence of the people will police.
We have well meaning individuals in this state that are partnering with us. We realise that we cannot succeed in isolation of the people.
“Recently, there was a publication against the command by a group that we are yet to find out who they are. I initially thought that it is a faceless group, because everything they wrote, there were no facts in it. But I was told that that group actually exist. We have been trying to reach out to them. If there are some areas that there are misunderstandings, we want to let them understand.
“It is not true that our men only do extortion on the roads. About two months ago, I had to break my leave to come and address the whole police officers in the state because of one case of extortion that was reported to me. And I declared that every policeman that is found guilty of extortion while armed, will be charged with armed robbery.
“We don’t tolerate extortion or misconduct of our men. We are trying to instill discipline in our men, and our men are heeding our warnings. They are responding and cooperating with us. That is why I was so shocked when a group came out and publish what they wrote about us that all we are doing in this command is just to extort.
“It is so demoralising to our men and we find it very difficult to understand why a group will come out like that and make a condemnation of the whole command in spite of all our efforts and changes we have made”, Egbetokun said.