Ben-Kingsley Nwashara, a taxation and finance professional, has recounted how corrupt officers of the Uwani Police Division in Enugu State threatened him with assault before illegally arresting him on Saturday.

After his release, Nwashara revealed that the police officers threatened him with detention and abuse if he did not hand them a N20,000 bribe.

Nwashara raised the alarm about his illegal detention when his phone’s battery was about to run out. It took four hours of consistent calls to the Nigeria Police Force headquarters and Enugu State Police Command before Nwashara regained freedom.

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“This police officer with plaited hair tried to pressure me to give them 20k so they can leave me. When I insisted on them leaving me, he immediately took me behind the counter and said I’m being arrested for suspected car theft. The particulars and everything are with me,” Nwashara posted on X after his release.

“The other guy threatened if I talk anyhow he would throw me into the cell so that the guys inside the police cell would beat me up. He even asked me to produce the 20k so that he will leave me. I don’t know who called the DPO, he came there, checked the document and freed me.

“One of them threatened and was charging at me to slap me because I told him I won’t give them even 5k. This is what they do to people in Enugu. They will threaten to charge you with a scary offence to intimidate you into paying huge money. Nigerian Police is not your friend.”

Nwashara is well known on X (Twitter) for taking an abandoned baby girl in and nursing her back to health a few years ago. He currently fends for the little girl as a single foster parent.

FIJ called the official phone numbers available to reach Uwani Police and Daniel Ndukwe, the Enugu Police Public Relations Officer, while Nwashara was held. Neither phone number was reachable.

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Texts sent to both phone numbers were unanswered until Nwashara regained his freedom.

“[I] am no more the DPO Uwani. You may contact DPO Uwani, please. Thank [you],” the phone number linked to Uwani Police responded just around the time Nwashara posted about his freedom.

Ndukwe had not sent a response at press time.