Published 27th Apr, 2022

By Precious Ewuji

Praise Anthony, a Port Harcourt-based photographer, has narrated how N392,000 was extorted from him by some policemen in Imo State.

Anthony told FIJ that he was on his way from Uli in Anambra State, where he had gone to meet one of his friends who was supposed to attend a wedding ceremony with him in Imo State, when the incident happened.

“On Saturday, while going to Imo State with my friend, four police officers without badges stopped us at a checkpoint in Owerri. They asked us where we were going and I told them we were going for a wedding ceremony,” he said.

“I was driving a Sienna car and they asked to check my car. Due to the insecurity in the east, I agreed. After some minutes of searching without finding anything, they started accusing us of being yahoo boys.”

The photographer said he tried explaining to the officers that they were not ‘Yahoo Boys’ but they would not listen to him.

“Some minutes after they had seized our phones, they collected my car keys and started driving us round Owerri City. After a while, they took us to a place behind the State Criminology Investigation Department(C.I.D),” Anthony said.

“At that moment, I saw a senior police officer at the State CID and pleaded with him to tell his officers to release us. To my greatest shock, however, the next thing the senior officer would say was, ‘heaven helps those who help themselves.'”

According to the photographer, the police officers demanded he paid N1 million before they would allow him continue his journey with his friend.

“When I told them I only had N39,000 in my account, one of them who claimed he was also working with the Economic Financial Crimes and Commission (EFCC) told me to call my relatives so they would lend me money to pay. He even said I must not talk as if I am in their custody,” said Anthony.

“I was surprised to hear that. I told them the wedding was very important but they didn’t listen. In the end, I had to call my elder sister and a friend to lend me some money.”

Anthony said he was eventually able to gather N392,000 to ensure his release alongside his friend.

He said the policemen, who were up to seven, later took him to a Point of Sales (PoS) centre to withdraw the money.

*Proof of payments made to the policemen.*

“After they collected the money, one of them said I should leave Imo State very early whenever I plan to travel back to Port Harcourt, so that they don’t get to arrest me again,” Anthony said.

FIJ made phone several calls to Michael Abattam, the Imo State Police Public Relations Officer, but he did not answer them. He had also not replied to an SMS sent to him at press time.

Share on Social Media