₦airaland Forum

A student, Olawale Ayomide, has accused officers attached to the Igbeba police station in the Ijebu Ode area of Ogun State of extorting N99,000 from him.

The victim, who narrated his ordeal to PUNCH Metro on Thursday, said the incident occurred on Tuesday, adding that one of the officers forgot his official cap in his vehicle after allegedly perpetrating the act.

According to Olawale, the policemen stopped him while he was travelling in his mother’s vehicle from Sagamu to Ijebu-Ode and accused him of driving a car without a number plate.

He said that despite explaining that the car belonged to his mother, who was still processing the registration documents, the officers ignored him and insisted he should follow them to their station.



He said, “I was heading to Ijebu-Ode from Sagamu when I encountered some policemen along the road. They stopped us and asked my friend and me to step out of the vehicle. The car belongs to my mum, and she’s currently processing its documents.

“Without telling us our offence, they entered the car and ordered us to follow them to their station. On our way, we asked what our offence was, and they claimed we were driving a vehicle without a number plate. We explained the situation to them and even offered to call my mum to confirm ownership of the car, but they refused and insisted on taking us to the station.

He alleged that the officers later demanded N1m on their way before they could release them, adding that they threatened to seize the vehicle if he refused to pay.

“Eventually, they asked us to park close to the station and said they would settle for N100,000 after going back and forth. And since they wouldn’t let us go, I called my phone dealer and told him I wanted to sell my second phone so he could send me the money. When I received the alert, the officers took me to a PoS terminal, where I finally transferred the N99,000 to them.”

Another student, Dare Ifeanyi, who was with Olawale in the vehicle, alleged that the officers took them to a police station nearby and compelled them to write a false statement under duress.

He further alleged that the policemen dictated what they should say in both written and video statements.

“They asked us to deny that they collected money from us and to claim that we were Internet fraudsters. They also told us to say the vehicle didn’t belong to our mum but that we bought it for N5m from the proceeds of fraud. We refused at first, but they threatened to detain us, so we did as they said,” Ifeanyi recounted.

The victims were eventually released after complying with the officers’ instructions.

“We discovered a police cap on the back seat at home. We explained what happened to Ayomide’s mum,” Ifeanyi added.

When contacted on Thursday, Olawale’s mother, Mrs Omolabake, confirmed her ownership of the car.

She also expressed her displeasure over the development, saying she personally found the cap in the vehicle.

She said, “I saw the cap in the vehicle and asked my son where he saw it. Initially, he did not want to tell me what happened until after I persuaded him. This is not good at all. My name is on the document for the car. We are only processing the plate number. I felt bad when I was told they were recorded and asked to lie against themselves.

“I knew what they did was not good, and that was how it ended this way. My husband is not around now, and I am waiting for him to return before going to the station. They have to refund the money and delete the video they recorded.”

An activist and the Coordinator of the Take It Back Movement in Lagos, Adekunle Taofeek, also posted the development on X on Wednesday.

He wrote, attaching the said cap, “Someone sent this to me just now. Some policemen extorted my brother along the Ijebu Ode road, Egbeda, yesterday. They collected 100k illegally from him. Along the line, they forgot their cap inside his car. He was forced to sell his phone at gunpoint to settle them. Is that not kidnap for ransom?”

The Ogun State Police Command spokesperson, Omolola Odutola, could not be reached as calls made to her telephone were not responded to. A text message sent to her had yet to be replied to as of the time this report was filed.

The development comes amid a growing list of complaints by Nigerians over alleged extortion and harassment by police officers in the country.

PUNCH Metro in March reported that a young man, Ramadan Adenola, known as Netrovert on social media platform X, accused officers of the Nigeria Police Force of extorting him and his coworker during a stop-and-search operation in Lagos.

Aviation experts have questioned the decision of the Airline Operators of Nigeria to place a passenger, Ms Comfort Emmason, on a lifetime no-flight list, describing the move as unlawful and outside the association’s authority.

Their reaction follows a statement issued by the Public Relations Officer of AON, Prof. Obiora Okonkwo, who on Monday said the passenger had been banned from flying with any AON member airline, both domestically and internationally, for life.

Okonkwo had referenced an incident involving Ms Emmason, who was said to have acted unruly on an Ibom Air flight on Sunday. He stated that AON had reviewed the airline’s report and fully endorsed its handling of the situation.

“We commend the airline for its swift and professional handling of this unfortunate event and fully endorse the actions taken,” Okonkwo said.


However, aviation stakeholders have questioned the legality of the association’s decision, arguing that only regulatory bodies like the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority have the authority to impose such penalties.

A retired pilot and former Chief Pilot of the now-defunct Associated Airlines, Capt. Muhammed Badamasi, told The PUNCH that AON, as a private association, lacks the legal grounds to enforce a no-fly ban.

“AON has no power to ban any passenger. They, as individual airlines, can’t. It’s the responsibility of the regulatory authorities that have such power. They can only report to the NCAA, which then determines if any sanction is necessary,” he argued.


Supporting this view, aviation security expert and former military officer, Retired Group Captain John Ojikutu, said while individual airlines may reserve the right to deny service to passengers, AON as a group has no legal mandate to issue flight bans.

“Airlines can choose not to carry a passenger, just as passengers have rights. But AON cannot act as a regulator; they don’t have any extant law backing such a ban,” he said.

Ojikutu further explained that any such decision must align with national aviation laws and protocols, insisting that “The AON can’t exercise such powers. It is alien to established rules and regulations.”

He stressed that only under specific circumstances, such as violations of national security protocols, can a passenger be placed on a no-fly list, and only by relevant government authorities empowered by law.

The controversy has raised fresh questions about the boundaries of authority in the Nigerian aviation sector and the role industry associations can or should play in enforcing discipline among air passengers.

The Nigeria Police Force has begun investigating Fuji musician, Wasiu Ayinde Marshal, also known as KWAM 1, over his alleged unruly behaviour that reportedly obstructed the safe operation of an aircraft at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.

The Force Public Relations Officer, DCP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, in a statement on Tuesday, said the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority had formally petitioned the police over the incident, which occurred on August 5, 2025, in violation of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Regulations, 2023.

Following the petition, he said the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, directed the Commissioner of Police, Airport Command, to conduct a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident.

“The Nigeria Police Force has received an official petition from NCAA over an alleged incident involving Mr. Wasiu Ayinde Marshal (popularly known as KWAM 1). He is accused of engaging in unruly conduct that allegedly obstructed the safe operation of an aircraft, in violation of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Regulations, 2023, following a reported incident on 5 August 2025 at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.


“In response, the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, has directed the Commissioner of Police, Airport Command, to immediately commence a thorough investigation into the matter, to unravel the circumstances which led to the ugly incident and ensure justice is served accordingly, ” the statement partly read.

He added that the police remain committed to upholding safety and security in Nigeria’s aviation sector and will continue to work with stakeholders to ensure compliance with aviation laws.

“The Force hereby assures the public of its commitment to upholding safety and security within Nigeria’s aviation sector, while assuring stakeholders in the sector of improved collaboration towards aviation security and strict compliance with aviation laws”, the statement stated.

KWAM 1 was involved in an altercation at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, while attempting to board a ValueJet flight to Lagos.

The dispute began when he carried a flask onboard, which aviation staff suspected contained alcohol, a prohibited substance on domestic flights in Nigeria.

When staff requested that he surrender the flask, KWAM 1 refused. He then reportedly moved to block the aircraft from taxiing, escalating the confrontation.

In reaction to the incident, the NCAA suspended the licences of the captain, Oluranti Ogoyi, and her first officer, Ivan Iloba, while KWAM 1 was placed on a no-fly list across all Nigerian carriers for six months pending investigation.

KWAM 1 later apologised, saying that it was never his intention to violate aviation protocols or cause inconvenience.

However, calls for KWAM 1’s investigation and prosecution became rife after an Ibom Air passenger, Comfort Emmanson, was remanded in Kirikiri Correctional Centre for allegedly assaulting flight crew and security personnel during an Uyo–Lagos flight.

Petroleum product marketers on Monday lamented their losses as the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited reduced the price of Premium Motor Spirit (petrol) to N880 per litre in Lagos and N935 in Abuja.

From N925, some NNPC retail outlets in Lagos changed their pump price to N880 on Easter Monday, while those in Abuja adjusted from N950 to N935.

The NNPC price reduction came barely a week after the Dangote refinery lowered its ex-depot price from N865 to N835 per litre.

The $20bn refinery also directed its partners like MRS, Heyden, and Ardova to sell a litre of petrol at the rate of N890 instead of N920 in Lagos, N900 in the South West, N910 in the South-South, and N920 in the North East.


The PUNCH observes that the new NNPC price in Lagos is N10 lower than that of the Dangote refinery, signalling another price war between the two companies.

Our correspondent reports that some NNPC filling stations are still selling at the old rate. But marketers said these stations were given the liberty to exhaust old stock before adjusting to the new prices.

In an interview with our correspondent, the National Vice President of the Independent Marketers Association of Nigeria, Hammed Fashola, confirmed the price reduction, stressing that filling station operators were losing money.


He told our correspondent that NNPC Retail sent a memo to its outlets to effect the new prices.

“It is confirmed that NNPC has reduced PMS prices. It is now N880 per litre in Lagos. They sent messages to their retail outlets. Some of them have already put the price at N880. However, they allow those having old stock to continue selling at the old rate. Some are still selling at N910.

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Telecoms giant, MTN, has shut all its stores and service centres across Nigeria.

This was coming on the heels of an outrage by some of its subscribers across the country after the network provider barred their lines on Sunday.

In a viral video on social media Monday, a mob is seen destroying a barricade fence just outside the MTN office.

The clip showed a large crowd of angry subscribers vandalising the telecommunications company’s office in the FESTAC Town area of Lagos State in response to the network blocking subscribers due to a mismatch in their National Identification Number and SIM registration.


However, the Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Hundeyin, in a response to the circulated video on X.com stated that the DPO of FESTAC and his men had successfully restored normalcy and peace at the scene.

“This should not be the way to go!

Reacting on Tuesday, MTN said it would be shutting its shops nationwide today.

“Yello customer, please be informed that our shops nationwide will be closed today, 30th July 2024,” the statement sighted on X read.

The Katsina Elders’ Forum has advised President Bola Tinubu to reshuffle his cabinet.

The Katsina Elders’ Forum’s request is not unconnected with the ravaging insecurity in the  North-west sub region, especially, Katsina State.

The elders noted that as a matter of urgency and necessity, the Tinubu-led Federal Government must introduce the Jungle Battalion to curb the insecurity menace.

The forum made the plea at a press conference during the weekend in Katsina.

According to the Chairman of the Forum, Habibu Saulawa, a significant number of soldiers must be deployed to the forests to fight the hoodlums and restore the peace of the region.

Saulawa, who spoke through the Forum’s Secretary, Ali Mohammed, listed the group’s major concerns to include the growing insecurity and poverty plaguing the state as well as the alleged LGBT Agreement recently signed by the Federal Government.

He stated, “The cost of food items is rising by the day, everything is expensive, and the Northerners cannot afford three square meals.’’ This is very serious, and we are advising the Federal Government, through the president, Mr Tinubu who has a listening ear and is a democrat to attend to these myriad of problems.