Four Nigerian police officers have been arrested after allegedly setting up an illegal checkpoint in Abuja and extorting money from a driver who turned out to be Musa Aliyu, head of the country's Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC). The case has drawn attention because it involves the very institution tasked with fighting corruption in Nigeria, and highlights how routine police extortion at unauthorised roadblocks remains a persistent problem despite years of reform efforts.

Aliyu alleged he was stopped on a busy Abuja road on Saturday, told he had violated traffic rules, and pressured into withdrawing 53,000 naira (£45/$38) from a cash machine rather than going to court. His report triggered what Police Commissioner Ahmed Sanusi called an "intelligence-driven operation" that led to the arrest of the alleged ringleader and three other officers. They now face an internal disciplinary procedure that could see them dismissed, though such cases rarely reach court, while Sanusi publicly condemned the officers' conduct, saying they must choose between being "a policeman or a thief".