I don’t hide it. My former commander said if I want to collect money, I should collect what I can share with him, and he will defend me.” These words and other ones he uttered got Richard Gele into trouble. He spoke in pidgin English.
The Nigeria Police Force (NPF) has dismissed him after finding him guilty of unprofessional conduct. Force Public Relations Officer Olumuyiwa Adejobi, in a statement, described him as “the Police Inspector caught in a viral video dignifying and justifying extortion of members of the public and official corruption which trended from the 25th of July, 2022.”
He was “attached to Police Mobile Force 77 Squadron, Okene, Kogi State and deployed to the Itobe – Anyigba Road, for safety of road users and commuters, along the route, where the incident occurred,” the police said.
He hails from Benue State, and joined the police in September 2000. This means that he had been a policeman for more than 20 years before he got into trouble.
It is unclear when he started extorting money from members of the public. It is also unclear how much he had made from extortion.
“His dismissal came after subjection to internal disciplinary mechanism and being found wanting of the charges levelled against him in line with extant laws governing the conduct of police personnel,” the police said.
He has been “de-kitted and handed over to the Commissioner of Police, Kogi State, for further necessary action.” It is unclear what will happen to him next.
According to the statement, the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Usman Alkali Baba “warned all personnel to eschew extortion, unprofessionalism, official corruption and other inappropriate acts,” and “urged them to display exemplary courage and patriotism in the discharge of their duties.”
There is no question that extortion gives the police a negative image. Police extortion is inexcusable because the police are supposed to enforce the law and not break the law. It amounts to role failure when policemen become extortionists.
But Gele could not have been the only policeman around when the incident happened. What happened to the other policemen who were with him? Is it possible that they did not participate in extortion at the place? Or did they escape punishment because they did not utter words that could implicate them? What about Gele’s former commander who had allegedly encouraged him to extort money from members of the public? Is he still in the NPF?
The point is that there are still many policemen who are proud to be extortionists like Gele. Indeed, the country’s police are notorious for corruption. What is the NPF doing to weed out crooked policemen and policewomen?