The Nigerian Police Force has initiated a thorough investigation into the allegations of abduction and extortion by six of its officers in Rivers State.
DCP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, the Force Public Relations Officer at Headquarters, has instructed the Rivers State Police Command to promptly initiate an investigation and take appropriate action against the officers.
DCP Adejobi added that “we need to collectively kick against misconducts orchestrated by very few of our officers,” adding, “We are to work and support the IGP actualise his vision for the NPF.”
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The PRO also disclosed that “the Force had been taking action against some of the complaints against our officers, and we will soon make some of the actions public.”
He added, “We don’t condone indiscipline and misconduct in the NPF. This case must be looked into as urgent as possible.”
Meanwhile, the Rivers State Police Command immediately followed up with a statement, inviting Godswill to visit the office of the Rivers State PPRO on Mosco Road, Port Harcourt, to make a statement.
“The Rivers State Police Command has become aware of a tweet posted by @harrisonBb18. The Command hereby requests Mr. Uzoma Enyinna Godswill to kindly visit the PPRO’s office at the Police Command Headquarters on Moscow Road, Port Harcourt.
“This visit is necessary in order for the office to properly identify the police officers involved and conduct a thorough investigation. The Command is determined to maintain a zero-tolerance policy towards any form of unprofessional conduct and will not tolerate such behaviour,” the statement reads.
On Wednesday, 15 May 2024, around 5 p.m., a traveller, Mr Uzoma Enyinna Godswill, was travelling from Port Harcourt, where he had met with his brother, who had returned home from abroad, to Oka, where he resides, was accosted by some officers armed with AK-47.
The traumatic event happened along Eleme Road in Rivers State and was made public through a Twitter post by Harrison Gwamnishu.
Godswill had passed many checkpoints until he was stopped by a group of six young officers and asked to highlight from his vehicle. The vehicle was searched, and one of the officers took his mobile phone and forced him to enter his security code.
Godswill narrated that the incident happened around 5 pm, ” as I returned from Port Harcourt, along Elele Road. After they searched my motor and did not find anything, they asked me if I had anything else inside the car, and I said yes, my phone. They took me to the back of the Sienna and asked me what I was doing for a living. I told them I was a businessman and I sold drinks in Oka.
“They asked me to open my phone, and I wondered why. I requested my phone back to call a DSP, and the moment they heard me mention DSP, they started beating me. I cannot hear very well in my two ears, and my eyes are swollen and still bleeding till now.
That was the beginning of Godwills’s horrible evening. The officers forced him inside their vehicle, forced him to open his mobile phone, and they looked through it. Unfortunately for him, one of his account officers had credited his account, and the officers saw the text notification. The money was meant to “buy water today”, Godwills cried.
Despite denying any involvement in illicit activities because they asked him if I “had a car tracker and security code?” Godwills faced escalating demands for a bribe, accompanied by further physical violence. Refusing to succumb to the officers’ coercion, he adamantly rebuffed accusations of being an internet fraudster.
The officers, lacking an incriminating admission, resorted to coercive tactics, compelling Godwills to accompany them to a Point of Sale (POS) terminal.
The corrupt officers dragged him to a POS where N1,000,000 – N500,000 each was withdrawn from his account, and the POS operator collected N20,000 commission.
After being extorted, Godwills was callously dropped off, with the officers cynically suggesting he offer thanks at a church. However, driven by a sense of indignation, he pursued the perpetrators, seeking assistance from other law enforcement personnel at a subsequent checkpoint.
The incident sparked widespread outrage, prompting calls for swift action from the police authorities. Godwills’ traumatic experience serves as a stark reminder of the pervasive insecurity faced by motorists navigating Nigerian roads, marred by the spectre of police corruption and abuse of power.
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