Nigerian policemen under fire over N5,000 cash gift

A viral video showing many Nigerian police officers allegedly accepting N5,000 each from a Chinese man and his family has aroused widespread indignation and raised new questions about corruption and ethics in the Nigerian police force.

The video, which has appeared online, shows uniformed officers lining up while a Chinese man presents them cash gifts.

The incident has elicited vehement condemnation from the public and human rights defenders, who characterised it as shameful and detrimental to the police’s reputation.

The Lagos State Police Command distanced itself from the footage. Its spokesperson, CSP Benjamin Hundeyin, clarified that the incident did not occur in Lagos, contrary to claims circulating online.

Public figures have also weighed in. Omoyele Sowore, former presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), described the video as “shameful” and called for the removal of the IGP.

“This is why I keep saying illegal IGP Kayode Egbetokun must leave the police force… It is the shame of the nation,” he wrote in a Facebook post.

Popular social commentator and human rights activist Martins Victor Otse, also known as VeryDarkBlackMan, called the act “disgraceful, disrespectful, and degrading,” urging the police leadership to address the matter transparently.