Police probe claims of extortion by unidentified officers in Imo

Force Public Relations Officer, Ani Iniedu. Photo: File

The Nigeria Police Force says it has commenced probe after a viral video raised alarms about alleged illegal arrests and extortion by unidentified officers, particularly in Owerri, Imo State, ahead of the festive season.

The response came after a content creator, Young Entertainment, in a viral video on Saturday, alleged that some officers in unmarked vehicles had been stopping members of the public, arresting them without proper identification and extorting money from them.

In the video posted on X, he claimed that the alleged officers often operated in vehicles without number plates and wore uniforms without name tags or other forms of identification.

He also alleged that some wore face masks to conceal their identities.

He said the officers would intercept people travelling in public vehicles, conduct searches and, even when nothing incriminating was found, force them into their vehicles.

According to him, victims were then allegedly taken to isolated locations, where they were physically assaulted and pressured to transfer money to the officers before being abandoned.

“The mistake you will do is enter into their vehicle, because once you enter that their vehicle, that is where the extortion starts. They will now start telling you, ‘Open your phone. Open your bank,’ transfer money to them,” he said.

The content creator claimed that several victims had contacted him with similar complaints, adding that some were still receiving treatment for injuries allegedly sustained during the encounters.

He also said some of the reported incidents occurred around Bank Road and the area near the State CID in Owerri.

“People call it arrest most time. For me, I call it kidnap because if you check it, picking you illegally from a position to an unknown location, it’s kidnapping,” he said.

Young C Entertainment urged the Commissioner of Police in Imo State, CP Audu Boso, to establish patrol teams, particularly from the police X-Squad, to monitor officers and vehicles operating in the areas identified in the complaints.

He said more than 50 complaints had been brought to his attention and warned that the alleged incidents could increase during the festive season.

Reacting to the video on Sunday, the Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Ani Iniedu, acknowledged the allegations and asked the Police Complaints Response Unit to contact the complainant for further details.

“Thank you for bringing this to our attention. @PoliceNG_CRU, please urgently contact the complainant for more details to facilitate prompt intervention. The NPF is committed to serving the public and upholding the rule of law,” Iniedu said.

Replying to the FPRO on X, PoliceNG_CRU acknowledged the instruction and pledged action.