Tina Amanda
The Rivers State Police command has arrested four Police officers at Cedar Wood Estate, off SARS Road in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area, who are alleged to be involved in the business of land grabbing and collecting illegal levy from land developers in the area, on .
Our correspondent who monitored the arrest disclosed that some Police personnel with about fifteen (15) patrol vans, drawn from various tactical unit of the command raided a building where the alleged Policemen camp inside the estate.
Our correspondent reports that upon the raid, four officers and a Hilux vehicle were arrested and taken away by the men of the tactical unit who came for the arrest.
In an interview with our correspondent, a resident of the area disclosed that the arrest followed series of petitions by residents of the area to the Commissioner of Police, CP Eboka Friday and the Inspector General of Police, IGP Usman Alkali Baba on the illegal activities of the alleged Police officers and thugs who works with them.
The resident narrated that the officers and their collaborators’ mode of operation is whenever a land owner starts developing his or her land, the alleged officers will demand payment from them, ranging from one hundred thousand (100,000) naira above and if he or she refuses to pay, they will beat them up and his/her fence brought down.
Another resident also lamented that in most cases, the Officers and their thugs confiscate the property from the owners for failure to meet up with their demand and resell it to another person.
The residents decried the suffering they have gone through in the hands of the officers, while thanking the Commissioner of Police for the arrest of the officers.
They also urged him to ensure they are disciplined in a accordance to the law.
The spokesperson for the Rivers State Police command, DSP Grace Iringe Koko is yet to respond to text messages sent to her as at press time.
