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Policemen Forget Phone In Student’s Car After Extorting Him Of N150K In Rivers
In a bizarre twist, some officers of the E-Crack Unit of the Rivers State Police Command have mistakenly forgot a phone in the car of a student of the University of Port Harcourt, UNIPORT, they forcefully extorted of N150,000
The student gave his name as Victor E. He said he went out with two of his friends to get food for his sick girlfriend on February, 16 , 2021, around Rumualogu-Alakahia Car Wash axis of Obio-Akpor Local government area. This was when the officers stopped him for a search of his vehicle.
He alleged that that the policemen subsequently seized his phone and that of his friends. They later threatened to take them to the office Economic Financial Crimes Commission. They also threated to use machetes to butcher them if they refuse to yield to their demand for money.
Thy also made them drive round some parts of the city. Thereafter, the police officers forced them to go to an ATM machine. There, they made him to withdraw N120, 000 cash which is his bank’s allowed maximum withdrawal for the day.
He added that he was compelled to transfer another N30, 000 to an account of belonging to one Udoh Favour, provided by the E-Crack Officers.
Victor, however, said luck ran out the policemen as one them forgot his phone in his car.
The student told journalists that he quickly switched the Tecno Torchlight phone. This was done to stop the police officers from calling it. Also, it was done to prevent it to be used to trace him and to use it as an evidence against them.
He appealed to the new CP Eboka Friday to help him recover his money. But most importantly, he appealed that the police officers be brought to book.
It gathered that the officers involved in the alleged extortion have been arrested on Thursday.
The Spokesperson for Rivers Police Command, Nnamdi Omoni confirmed the arrest. He said the ownership of the phone was traced to a police officer in the Command (names withheld).
He 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.
Our correspondent reports that this the perhaps the first case of extortion by police officers to be reported under the watch of the new CP Eboka Friday, who vowed not condone corruption and professional misconduct when he took over the command last week.
