A retired Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP), Mr. Isiagu Joseph, has accused a serving police inspector of subjecting him to public ridicule, physical assault and unlawful detention for operating a commercial minibus popularly called korope to sustain his family in Lagos.
Joseph, who retired from the Nigeria Police Force in December 2023, narrated that the incident, which he described as degrading and demoralising, climaxed on January 8, 2026, around the Alausa Secretariat axis of Ikeja, where he was loading passengers for a routine commercial trip.
According to the retired officer, the inspector, accompanied by other policemen and civilians believed to be members of a task force, allegedly blocked his vehicle and began hurling insults at him in public, despite being shown his police identity card.
He alleged that the inspector openly derided him for driving a commercial bus, reportedly shouting: “How can a retired police CSP be driving korope? It is an insult to the force.”
Joseph said the situation quickly escalated as the inspector allegedly ordered civilians to forcefully pull him out of the vehicle, seize his keys and assault him, before driving the bus away to the task force office at the Alausa Secretariat.
“I was dragged out of my vehicle and beaten in full public view. They took my vehicle and drove off with it,” Joseph said.
He added that he followed them to the Alausa Secretariat, where the bus was parked. Although officers at the office later confirmed that the vehicle had been brought in by a civilian operative, Joseph said he was made to wait for hours before the inspector returned.
“When he came back, he continued the insults, calling me a ‘useless CSP’ and boasting that as an inspector he had properties and would never drive a korope after retirement,” Joseph alleged.
The retired CSP said the vehicle was eventually released late in the evening, but not without a warning that he would face further harassment if he continued operating the bus.
Joseph explained that he was enlisted into the Nigeria Police Force on December 1, 1988, and retired as a Divisional Police Officer (DPO) on December 1, 2023. He disclosed that his retirement is currently being contested in court due to disputes over his date of enlistment, following a mass disengagement ordered in August 2024.
With his case still pending and his pension described as “grossly inadequate,” Joseph said he purchased a korope to fend for his family of six.
“My pension as a CSP is not up to ₦40,000. Driving this bus is how I feed my family daily. Is that now an offence?” he asked.
He further revealed that the January 8 incident was not the first encounter with the same inspector, alleging that on previous occasions, the officer attempted to impound his vehicle and remove its plate number, but was restrained by other senior officers present.
Petition to Police Authorities
Following the incident, Joseph said he reported the matter to the Lagos State Police Command, including the Provost, the Deputy Commissioner of Police (Administration) and the X-Squad. While expressing sympathy, he said no decisive action has been taken so far, allegedly due to challenges in properly identifying the inspector, whom he identified only as “Sylvester,” attached to a Lekki-based task force team.
“I am waiting for the command to bring him out. Let him tell me what my offence is,” Joseph said.
He lamented what he described as a breakdown of discipline within the force, adding that he served with integrity throughout his career and was never accused of extortion or misconduct.
“If the command says that a retired CSP driving korope is an offence, then I will pack up and go back to the village,” he said in apparent frustration.
The Lagos State Police Command had not issued an official response at press time. However, the case has continued to attract public attention, with calls for accountability and protection of the dignity of retired officers seeking lawful means of livelihood.
Source: Vanguard Newspapers