CP warns officers against extortion, unlawful phone searches in Kwara

Adekimi Ojo, Commissioner of Police in Kwara State, has issued a stern notice of caution to officers of the command, stating that extortion, harassment, unlawful phone searches, and profiling of youths as “Yahoo boys” will no longer be tolerated.

In his address to Deputy Commissioners, Area Commanders, Divisional Police Officers, and Tactical Commanders in Ilorin on Friday, Ojo said the directive aligns with the instructions of the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun.

He emphasised that any officer found violating human rights or engaging in misconduct would face the most severe disciplinary sanctions.

“Officers who interfere in purely civil cases without criminal elements, unlawfully search citizens’ phones, or maliciously label youths as Yahoo boys or internet fraudsters are committing grave offences,” Ojo declared.

The commissioner stressed that indiscriminate phone searches on roads are strictly prohibited, except where a phone has been confirmed as an exhibit in an ongoing investigation.

Ojo also reassured members of the public, especially students and young people, that the command remains committed to protecting their dignity and fundamental rights.

“The era of intimidation and wrongful profiling is over in Kwara State,” he said, urging youths to remain law-abiding.

In the meantime, the command announced that enforcement of tinted glass permits will begin on October 2, 2025. Motorists without valid permits, or those using fake or expired ones, will be taken to court within 24 hours.

In a statement, SP Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi, the command’s spokesperson, advised drivers to carry their original permits at all times and urged the public to report any cases of extortion linked to the enforcement exercise through designated complaint channels.

In a similar move earlier this year, Betty Enekpen-Otimeyin, Edo State Commissioner of Police, had warned operatives of the command against extortion and random searching of phones.

Enekpen-Otimeyin, who is the 49th CP of the state, gave the directive when she resumed at the police headquarters, Benin City, the state capital, on Monday.

She said the directive against extortion and searching of phones is from the Inspector General of Police and that such can only be done if it is necessary in the course of an investigation.