Justice has been served as officers of the Rivers Police Command who extorted a student of N150,000 have been brought to book.
The officers who were from the E-Crack Unit of the Rivers State Police Command, reportedly extorted money from a student of the University of Port Harcourt, UNIPORT.
You would note that the ENDSARS protest which took place in October 2020 has yielded the investigation of officers who were involved in numerous crimes like extortion, killing of youth etc. Many of such officers have been investigated and brought to book.
In this case, the student, who is simply identified as Victor E, while making his report said the incident occurred around Rumualogu-Alakahia Car Wash axis of Obio-Akpor Local Government Area on February 16, 2021 when he had gone out with two of his friends to get food for his sick girlfriend and the officers stopped him for a search of his vehicle.
He alleged that the policemen subsequently seized his phone and that of his friends after threatening to take them to the office Economic Financial Crimes Commission. Victor had said the officers further threatened to use machetes to butcher them if they don’t succumb to their demand for money.
He added that the police officers eventually forced them to an ATM machine and made him withdraw the maximum amount of withdrawal allowed by his bank which is N120, 000 and was also compelled to transfer another N30,000 to an account named Udoh Favour which was provided by the E-Crack Officers.
However, the student while speaking with newsmen stated that luck ran out of the policemen when one of the officers forgot his phone in his car. He stated that he hurriedly turned off the phone in order to stop the officers from calling it. He concluded that he had traced the phone to the culprit and used it as evidence against them. He was said to have reported the matter to Police authorities while appealing to them to help him recover his money and bring the police officers to book.
Meanwhile, the spokesperson for Rivers Police Command, Nnamdi Omoni had confirmed the report noting that the officers involved in the alleged extortion were arrested on Thursday. He said the ownership of the phone was traced to a police officer in the Command (names withheld).
Omoni added that the owner of the phone and other officers with him during the alleged extortion have been summoned to the command headquarters for investigation and would be made to pay back the money extorted from the student and face the law.
Source: Gist Mania
