The Nigeria Police Force on Saturday said it is investigating a report of an alleged extortion of N620,000 by some men said to be police officers wearing Mufti along the Sanni Abacha road, GRA in Rivers State.
The Police Spokesperson, ACP Olumuyiwa Adejobi disclosed this while reacting to the complaints via his X, formerly Twitter, account.
Some men said to be officers of the Rivers State Police Command were reported to have accosted one Daniel at about 9 p.m. while he rode on an Uber.
The men, five in number, were said to have appeared in an all-black attire without name tags or a serial number for identification.
The brother of the victim, who reported the case via his X handle @smartninho narrated: “They seized his phone and went through it. They found nothing and went ahead to open all his bank apps and saw money in his accounts.
“They beat him up and put him in their Sienna. They kept beating him in the sienna with other boys they picked in a similar style. They did not allow him to communicate with his family or relatives.
“They drove them to a thick bush in Ogoni and continued to the border of Akwa Ibom. There they stopped and brought him out. They continued beating and threatening to shoot him if he didn’t transfer a huge amount to them.
“They started with a request for Twenty million Naira (N20m). They emptied his accounts, removing over Six hundred and twenty thousand Naira (N620k)”.
The post shared at 3: 38 p.m. on Saturday, gained traction after an independent journalist and influencer on the X App escalated the incident via his paid blue tick page.
The spokesperson of the police, Muyiwa while reacting said, “This will be looked into again. I am personally taking it up”.
He added, “I agree that we have recorded some cases against the men in Rivers Command, and we will address them all. I want to commend those who have been sending in their complaints. Justice will be done”.
The Rivers State Police command has come under fire in recent times following numerous complaints and claims from residents of brutality, indiscriminate extortion, high-handedness, unprofessionalism and public disobedience of police extant laws.
In April, three officers were captured assaulting a motorist in the state. The officers were seen slapping the victim repeatedly after beating him with a cane.
In a follow-up to Muyiwa’s reaction, the Nigeria Police Force also took to its official page to condemn the situation, pledging to take action if “guilt is proven”.
It said, “We take misconduct allegations seriously and are concerned about the reported incident. The welfare and safety of all citizens matter.
“An investigation is underway. Rest assured, action will be taken if guilt is proven. Thank you for bringing this to our notice”.