The Kogi State Police Command has said policemen accused of begging motorists on the Abuja-Lokoja for money to repair their patrol vehicles and to fuel them are not its personnel.

It, however,  promised to investigate the matter to unmask the culprits.

Motorists plying the ever – busy Abuja-Lokoja Expressway, which linked the northern and southern parts of the country, have complained of routine harassment and embarrassment by policemen patrolling the route, who openly solicit for financial assistance to fuel and repair their operational vehicles.

When LEADERSHIP Sunday contacted the command’s public relations officer, Mr Romanus Nwaneri, on the development, he said that these involved in the act couldn’t have been policemen, adding that they could “be other people who are ready to tarnish the image of the police because the police Force is too refined for its officers to beg for money on the road”.

Nwaneri stated that the Force would investigate the allegations to unmask the suspects.

The motorists had alleged that policemen on Post and Guard (Pand G) on the road have been openly begging them for money to fix their broken down operation vehicles.

One of the affected motorists, who sought anonymity, decried the attitude of the police officers and appealed to the police authorities to address the matter.

He alleged that cases of policemen soliciting for funds from travellers were common among men and officers of the Kotokarfe and Chikara units of Nigeria Police, pointing out that the policemen usually complained of broken down operations vehicles and lack of money to fuel them.

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