A Ghana based Nigerian, Liberty Kelechi Isaac, has urged the Inspector General of Police, IGP, to fish out some policemen who extorted N3 million from him at gunpoint on Monday.
Isaac who hails from Nguru Nworie, in Aboh Mbaise Local Government Area of Imo State, spoke to journalists in Owerri on Friday.
He said that the policemen accosted him and two of his friends at the Udi axis in Bayelsa State and forced him at gunpoint to transfer N3 million to them after manhandling him and threatening to shoot him.
Isaac who said that he was in the country to attend a friend’s traditional marriage ceremony in Bayelsa State, disclosed that the policemen forced him to unlock his phone and on seeing a N10 million bank alert, they started beating him and threatened to kill him if he failed to transfer N6 million to them.
He said, “My name is Liberty Kelechi Isaac. I am from Nguru Nworie autonomous community in the Aboh Mbaise Local Government Area of Imo State. I am based in Ghana. I have not been to Nigeria for six years now. I came to Nigeria to attend a friend’s traditional wedding in Bayelsa State.
“After attending the traditional wedding and we were driving back to Imo State and around Udi axis some policemen flagged us down. We stopped and they asked me to unlock my phone. I asked them why and they said I must open my phone. I reminded them that the Inspector General of Police asked Nigerians not to allow policemen on the road to access their phones. Immediately I said that, they started beating me,” he narrated.
Isaac added that he was handcuffed by the police officers, who drove him along with his friends to an unknown location as they continued beating and threatened to kill him if he refused to open the phone.
“I asked them to take me to a police station but they refused. So instead of me to die I obeyed them. Immediately they accessed my phone, they went to my messages log and saw a N10 million bank alert. Immediately they saw the alert they shouted ‘na dem’. At that point the beating increased. They said that if I don’t give them N6 million they will kill all of us. Out of fear I started negotiating with them and at the end of the day I transferred N3 million to them in two bank accounts they provided and they drove with us and stopped us at Ahoada in Rivers State and drove back.”
He told the journalists that he has printed his account statements from his banks and has all the account details the policemen provided, which he used to transferred the money to them.
“I transferred N2 million to one Yusuf Mustafa of Moniepoint Microfinance Bank and I also transferred N1 million to one Jerry Ventures of Moniepoint Microfinance Bank with the account number 8179664512.
“I have consulted a lawyer and he has written to the Police Public Relations Officer in Bayelsa State. All I need is my money to be returned to me and for the Inspector General of Police to fish out the policemen who are giving the Nigeria Police Force a bad image. I believe with these account details they can be fished out,” he said.
“I want my money returned to me because it is for my project. I want justice. Let the policemen who did this to me be identified so that other Nigerians won’t become their victims. I don’t know if it is a crime for somebody to come back to his country. I don’t do any illicit business. I am a law abiding citizen of this country. I want justice. Let the inspector General of Police fish them out because they said they are from the IG Squad.”
When contacted, the spokesperson for the Bayelsa State Police Command, Musa Muhammed, said he was not aware of the incident.