Police Reform cordinator narrates how three policemen in Enugu took a man to ATM to collect N30,000 bribe for possession of laptop and phones

Okechukwu Nwanguma, the National Coordinator at Network on Police Reform in Nigeria, has narrated how three policemen in Enugu allegedly took a young man to Automated Teller Machine (ATM) spot to collect a N30,000 bribe.

 

According to Mr Nwanguma, the officers stopped a vehicle conveying passengers from Awka to Abuja, around Opi junction Nsukka. Upon conducting a search, they found a Lap top and two phones with the young man and decided to take them to the station to check the devices to ascertain that he's not a 'Yahoo boy'.

 

However, on their way they allegedly asked the young man to settle them along the way as he may pay more if they get to the station. They demanded 500k from him and later settled for 30K. They then took him to a bank where he withdrew the money and gave them.

 

Read Nwanguma below:

So, 3 police officers attached to Urban Patrol, Enugu Police Command last Friday stopped a Sienna Car conveying passengers from Awka to Abuja somewhere at Opi junction Nsukka.
In the course of conducting extortion-induced search, they saw a lap top and two phones with a youngman in the car and decided, against protests by the passengers, to take them to their station to check the youngman's laptop and phones to ascertain that he's not a 'Yahoo boy'.
On their way, they asked the youngman to settle them along the way as he may pay more if they get to the station. They demanded 500k from him. The youngman pleaded until they agreed to collect 30k to free him.
Meanwhile, after several hours of delay by the police officers, the other passengers left the youngman to continue their journey to Abuja.
The police officers eventually took the young man to a corner close to their station where they eventually agreed to collect the 30k ransom.
They then took him to a bank where he withdrew the money and gave them. He had to pay another transport fare to continue his journey. A clear case of Abduction, Hostage-Taking, Blackmail and Robbery.
I put up a petition to the CP Enugu which got to the OC Urban Patrol.

 

UPDATE ON THE CASE

The OC Urban Patrol, Enugu State called me this morning in respect of this petition which I was planning to dispatch to the CP Enugu this morning. He said someone who read the petition on a platform forwarded it to him yesterday and he was appalled.
He said he was able to identify the men who, after initial denial, admitted that they committed the crimes as adumbrated in the petition.
He unreservedly condemned the actions of his men and has asked them to immediately raise the 30k they robbed from the youngman as well as the extra cost he incurred paying for transport a second time to continue his journey to Abuja.
He also promised to deal 'departmentally' with the 'greedy officers' as he described them, for deterrence.
He has mandated the officers to immediately call the victim, apologise to him and collect his account details for the refunds.
He has also personally called and apologised to the victim and asked him to confirm to him as soon as he receives the refunds.