Tina Amanda
Three motor mechanics have accused some officials of Rivers State Waste Management Agency (RIWAMA) of arresting them for an undisclosed offence and extorting the sum of twenty thousand naira from them.
It was learnt that the officials led by one Jack had arrested the trio opposite Zilly Agreey street at Chinda, Mile 4 area, Port Harcourt on Monday.
In an interview with our correspondent shortly after their release from RIWAMA cell, Sunday Akarabara, one of the mechanics said some of the environmental officials came to his shop and made him to enter their vehicle in the guise of speaking with their Boss only to zoom off alongside his colleagues.
“At about nine am on Monday I saw some environmental motor entering my shop premises, I thought they wanted to reverse their vehicle because there was enough for that. One of them called on me to come inside the vehicle that their Boss wants to discuss with me.
“I inquired what the discussion was all about, but they insisted i enter the motor first, then I entered the vehicle, their Boss told me to sit down, I sat down and called two of my colleagues too to come because I did not want to sit alone in the vehicle. The moment my colleagues came inside the vehicle, they closed the car door and zoomed off.
“They carried i and my colleagues to environmental office at Mile 3, Agip flyover. As we got there, they pushed us into the cell we inquired what our offence is, they told us to remain there first. Three hours later, I called my brother to tell him the situation of things and they told my brother to bring twenty thousand (20,000) naira for our bail.
“My brother transferred the twenty thousand naira to Jack before we were released after spending six hours in their cell.
“The officials who arrested us did not enter our names in the register before throwing us into cell neither did they tell us our offence. I begged them to allow me lock the vehicle I was repairing then as someone’s money was inside the car but they refused. I am not a road side mechanic, I work inside a workshop,” he said.
Our correspondent who saw the transfer details, reports that ten thousand (10,000) naira was transferred twice to an account holder simply identified as Jack and said to be the RIWAMA official.
Reacting to the incident, the National Legal Adviser of Centre for Basic Rights Protection and Accountability Campaign, Joel Victor, in an interview with Journalists said the law frowns at such behaviour.
Victor said, “It is totally disregarded the action of officials of RIWAMA.That is because you cannot arrest somebody without telling the person the alleged offence that they committed and detaining the person in unscrupulous manner, and receiving money from the person in form of bank transfers
“These are things the law frowns at. We want to call on the relevant Authority to get the persons arrested and let the law take it course.
“We are not bereft of what to do. We are given a stipulated time for them to do the needful. If at the expiration of that time they fail to do the needful, then we do what we know is within the bounds of the law and let the law take it course.”
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