If a Retired DPO Can Be Beaten By Policeman for Driving Korope, What Happens to Civilians?
At a crowded bus stop opposite the Alausa Secretariat in Ikeja, Lagos, a grey-haired man sat quietly behind the wheel of a commercial minibus, waiting for passengers heading towards Ikeja. To hurried commuters, he was just another korope driver struggling to survive in a brutal economy.
What most did not know was that the man being shouted at, mocked and later beaten was once a Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP)—a former Divisional Police Officer (DPO) who spent more than three decades enforcing the law and commanding men in uniform.
His name is Isiagu Joseph. And his offence, by his account, was neither traffic-related nor criminal. It was simply that, after retirement, he chose to drive a commercial bus to keep his family alive.
From Senior Officer to Public Ridicule
Joseph said his ordeal began in December 2025 when officials of the Lagos State Task Force accosted him while he was loading passengers at the Alausa Secretariat bus stop. Among them was a police inspector he had never met.
Instead of a routine check, Joseph said the officer launched into a tirade of public mockery.
“He shouted so everybody could hear, asking how a retired police CSP could be driving korope. He said it was an insult to the force and called me a useless CSP.”
Joseph said he calmly identified himself as a police officer and produced his identity card. Rather than douse the situation, the disclosure appeared to provoke further hostility.
On another occasion, the same inspector allegedly ordered that the number plate of Joseph’s vehicle be removed, ignoring protests from civilian task-force members who recognised that Joseph was a senior police officer. It was only after the intervention of an Assistant Superintendent of Police that the plate was restored.
Dragged Out and Beaten
The situation, Joseph said, reached a breaking point on 8 January 2026.
According to him, the inspector arrived with several task-force vehicles and civilians, blocked his bus and ordered that he be forcibly removed.
“He shouted, ‘Which useless CSP? Drag him out of the vehicle.’”
Joseph said he was pulled from his seat, beaten by about ten men, including civilians, while his vehicle was seized.
“They beat me mercilessly, snatched my keys and drove away with my bus.”
In desperation, he jumped into one of the task-force vehicles and followed them to their office at the Alausa Secretariat.
Humiliated Again at the Office
At the task-force office, Joseph said some officers who had previously worked under him expressed shock on seeing him in such a state. A preliminary check revealed that his vehicle had been brought in by a civilian task-force member identified as Kabiru.
Joseph said he waited from 6pm until about 9pm before the inspector who ordered his arrest returned.
“When he came back, he started abusing me again, calling me useless, saying if he retired as an inspector he would never drive korope because he already had hotels and enough money.”
Joseph said no traffic offence was mentioned, no fine imposed, and no bribe demanded. Eventually, his vehicle was released—but with a threat.
“He warned me that if I continued driving korope, he would still descend on me and no call from anybody would make him release my vehicle.”
A Pension That Cannot Feed a Family
Joseph retired from the Nigeria Police Force on 1 December 2023 as a Chief Superintendent of Police, following a disputed service-year issue that is still before the courts. In the interim, he survives on a monthly pension of less than ₦40,000.
“Is it not for me to die? The korope is what feeds my family of six.”
He said the inspector who assaulted him was junior by many years, noting that he dropped the inspectorate rank as far back as 2003.
“It’s like my grandchildren beating me,” he said.
Fearing further attacks, Joseph parked his vehicle and stopped working.
Naming the Officer, Seeking Justice
On 9 January 2026, Joseph reported the incident at the Lagos State Police Command headquarters in Ikeja. He said he later identified the officer as Inspector Sylvester, whom he was informed is attached to the Lekki Task Force team.
According to him, police authorities told him that difficulty in immediately and conclusively identifying the officer made swift disciplinary action challenging.
He said he also reported the matter to the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of Administration and the Area Command X-Squad, where he was assured that the officer would be identified and invited.
“Till today, I don’t know what action has been taken,” he said. “I am waiting for the command to bring him. Let him come and tell me my offence.”
A Troubling Question for Society
Joseph said his greatest pain is not the beating, but the humiliation—and what it says about the state of discipline within the force.
“An inspector can organise civilians to beat a CSP. I pursued a good name while in service. Nobody can accuse me of extortion. But see what I am getting.”
His story now raises a troubling question beyond his personal suffering: if a retired senior police officer can be publicly humiliated, beaten and silenced for being poor, what hope exists for ordinary civilians?
“If the command says that driving korope is an offence for a retired CSP,” Joseph said quietly, “then I will pack up, go back to the village, and die.” (Vanguard)
