Artiste alleges police extortion of N1m at Lagos airport

An emerging artist named Efemena Richard has shared his troubling encounter with police officers who allegedly extorted N1 million from him. The officers, stationed at Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos, reportedly forced Richard to sign documents and took his photographs during the incident.

Harrison Gwamnishu, an X user known as #HarrisonBbi18, posted a video on his account late on Monday, October 21, 2024, featuring Richard detailing his experience. Gwamnishu mentioned that Richard reached out to him via Instagram, stating: “Boss, the police just extorted me. They took 1 million naira from me after searching my phone at the airport and finding nothing. I was on my way to the airport when they stopped me. I explained that I was missing my flight, but they still wouldn’t let me go.” He added that they forced him to transfer the money from his account before continuing on to Warri, Delta State.

The three-minute video, titled “One million naira extorted from music artist #smookyhighgrade by police officers at Beesam Police Station near Murtala Mohammed Airport, Lagos,” features Richard in a moving vehicle. He claims that the officers demanded $10,000 from him before he could board his flight. “They asked for $10,000 and made me write on some papers that they would let me go if I complied. I was hesitant about giving them the money since it’s a significant amount. Nigerians, please help me; N1 million is not a small sum.”

Richard also recounted filming one of the officers, highlighting the dark stains on his fingers as evidence of thumbprints taken under duress. He described how the officers recorded him to prove he was not being coerced and made him sign documents for their records, after which he instructed his sister to send the N1 million.

“They even asked for my blockchain wallet. I don’t understand why the police would need that information. I’m just an upcoming artist, not a fraudster. I had just returned from South Africa to promote my music and was on my way home to see my mother when this happened.”

In response to the incident, the Force Public Relations Officer, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, urged the Lagos Police Command’s PRO, Benjamin Hundeyin, and the Airport Command PRO to investigate the matter. His tweet read, “#PoliceNG_CRU, #PoliceNG, please reach out to #BenHundeyin and the PRO Airport Command to identify these officers and provide updates. Thank you.”