A human rights activist in Delta State, Harrison Gwamnishu, has petitioned the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, accusing some police operatives in Anambra State of extorting $13 000 meant for the victim’s school fees abroad.
In the petition dated 24 March and addressed to Mr Egbetokun through the Complaint Response Unit of the police, Mr Gwamnishu urged the police chief to wade into the matter and bring the perpetrators to the book.
The activist, in the petition, which he forwarded to PREMIUM TIMES, wants the inspector general of police to ensure the refund of the extorted money to the victim, whom he identified as Ekene Onyeogulu.
He posted part of the petition on X.
He said the erring operatives are attached to the State Investigation Bureau in the police headquarters in Anambra.
The extortion
According to Mr Gwamnishu, the armed police operatives broke into the victim’s house at an estate in Awka on 12 March.
“Mr Onyeogulu narrated that he was immediately handcuffed and kept inside his sitting room while the officers went into his room to carry out a search without his consent and later brought out marijuana and took him away.”
The victim, according to the petition, was taken to the operatives’ office in Awka, while his phones were taken away.
Mr Gwamnishu said the victim was forced to sign a statement in custody. Afterwards, the operatives who searched his phone saw his account balance in a mobile wallet. They began to threaten him and forced him to transfer the amount to a mobile wallet address they provided.
The money was extorted through Bitcoin, he said.
The operatives, Mr Gwamnishu said, warned the victim that he would be imprisoned if he disclosed the incident to his relatives or police authorities.
The police spokesperson in Anambra State, Ikenga Tochi, when contacted, told PREMIUM TIMES that an investigation on the matter has been ongoing for over two weeks now.
Mr Tochi said the state commissioner of police has waded into it and promised to update the public on the outcome of the investigation.
Police extortions soar despite punishment
Cases of police extortion in the country have been on the increase despite punishment, such as dismissal from service, meted out to erring operatives.
The latest extortion allegations came a few weeks after an operative was dismissed while two others were suspended for allegedly extorting $3,000 from two Nigerians in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
A Divisional Crimes Officer of Abraka Division in Delta State was removed from office for allegedly extorting over N2 million.
This newspaper reported the detention of some operatives at the Force headquarters in Abuja for allegedly extorting N30.3 million.
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