By Tina Amanda
A man identified as Daddy Godfrey has accused some Officers of the Rivers State Police Command of planting Indian hemp on his body while conducting a search which led to them
extorting 80,000 naira from him.
Godfrey, in a post he tagged the Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Adejobi Olumuyiwa, explained that on his way to support a friend’s party on Sunday night, 23 July 2023, he got stopped by men of the Rivers State Police Command at Obiri-kwere junction, just before entering Ozuoba in Obio/Akpor local government area.
Godfrey disclosed that the officers had searched him the first time and found nothing on him, but one of the Police officers kept insisting he was a Yahoo boy even after he showed them his identity card and equally told them what he does for a living.
He said further the officers insisted he was lying, and they made him sit at a filling station close to their checkpoint, and after a while, they called him to come for a second search.
“I went confidently, and next thing was them bringing a parcel of weed; I did not know where it came from, but I was confident it was not from my bag because they had already searched the first time”.
According to him, he insisted that the parcel was not from his bag, and the next thing, he got slapped by the officer and was handcuffed.
He explained that he felt so helpless and alone because the driver he was with made him discharge him.
Godfrey, however, maintained that he does not smoke weed.
“I have never held a blunt in my life; I do not even have friends that come to smoke at my place, so why would I be carrying weed? After everything, they said I would go to the Police station, and they will take me to NDLEA.
“After about 2 hours in handcuff inside their van, they finally agreed for me to pay them one hundred thousand (100,000) naira, but I ended up paying 80,000 because that was the only money I could access at that point,” he said.
Godfrey said they made him call his accountant (Etong) to send the balance, but the accountant was inactive then.
Godfrey said he is ready for drug tests to be conducted to certify whether he smokes.
He also lamented that his hard-earned 80,000 was collected for something he is sure he did not do, adding that he makes an honest living as a PR and owns a short-let agency, a small properties business and events.
In his response, Force Spokesperson Prince Adejobi Olumuyiwa said, “We will ask the Rivers State command to take it up while I follow up. Good narration, but we must hear from the men, too, since none of us here was at the scene. But I can assure you we will critically and professionally look into it, and so justice. Get me on my line, send sms to me”.
