A Rivers State resident whose identity is yet-to-be identified has accused policemen of brutality and extortion after an encounter at a checkpoint around Eleme junction, near Igbo-Etche roundabout.
Narrating his ordeal, the man who was in the pool of blood said his vehicle was seized and was about taken to the police station without any clear reason, while he and his companions were labelled as criminals.
According to him, a female passenger who was with them was allegedly assaulted and stripped by the officers. “The girl wey follow us, they beat am naked am,” he recounted.
He claimed the officers demanded N1 million as a bribe, citing issues with his vehicle’s tinted glass permit. “I say one million for what? One million for tinted permits wey no… I say I go give them twenty thousand, they said I looked foolish,” he stated.
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The man further explained that although he had all his vehicle documents, his driver’s licence had expired in June. He said attempts to renew it at the state revenue office (IRS) had been unsuccessful because of faulty machines, leaving him with only a temporary licence.
He alleged that when he resisted being taken to the station and questioned the officers about his offence, his brother intervened but was slapped, while the female passenger was manhandled and thrown to the ground.
“One commot em stick… him colleague dey tell am stop, make him stop, he no gree. Naso I just hear for my head gbam! Naso I fall for ground that one come stand for my head,” he recounted.
When this reporter contacted the Force spokesperson, Grace Iringe-Koko via text, she replied with, “I spoke to him yesterday and asked him to come and identify the officers for immediate investigation.”
