Olabisi Ogunbona, an Ogun State resident, has narrated to FIJ how policemen arrested his cousin and four others only to extort N3 million from them.

He said the incident happened on Saturday evening under a bridge at NNPC, opposite National Open University of Nigeria, Abeokuta, Ogun State.

Ogunbona said Olamide Ayelotan, his cousin, and friends were driving through that route when a police van overtook them, parked and arrested the men.

He said, “Without telling them their offence, the police overtook their car and started beating them. The police then locked them at Ibara police station.

“The five of them were not allowed to make statements or defend themselves. On Sunday morning, the police took them out of the cell and said they were taking them to Abuja.”

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He told FIJ that he got to Ibara station on Sunday to learn that Ayelotan was no longer in the cell. The policemen he met volunteered a phone number of one officer he could reach for information. Ogunbona said when he called this policeman, he was able to speak with his cousin who was in tears and begging him saying, “Please do all they want.”

The call disconnected. Ogunbona was unable to reach Ayelotan anymore until 5:30 pm on Sunday evening. N3 million had changed hands under duress, and the five men were no longer in Ogun State but in Ibadan, Oyo State.

“The police stopped while approaching Iwo Road garage, brought them all out and requested money from them at gun point,” Ogunbona continued. “They forced them to write statements saying they were internet fraudsters, and then made them transfer N3 million to the Moniepoint account number 8189415742 owned ‘Peggy Ann Empire And Luxury’.

“After the police confirmed the money was received, they collected power banks, Airpods and all valuables on the men then told them to not inform anyone of the development. They released them to go and reclaim their vehicle in Ibara station but warned them not to tell the police there that they were extorted.”

FIJ called the number linked to the account, but the automated response we got was that the number was not assigned to a customer.

We called Segun Oguntona and Kelvin Imoni, two policemen who were part of the party that arrested the men, but they were unavailable for comments.

On Thursday morning, FIJ called Omolola Odutola, Police Public Relations Officer of the Ogun State Police Command, and she told us she would look into the matter if the complainant reached her.

The complainant called but she was yet to respond at press time.

Ojukwu is a reporter with FIJ in partnership with Report for the World, which matches local newsrooms with talented emerging journalists to report on under-covered issues around the globe.