Thread by @Jeto_C

Police harassment, assault and extortion
On the 8th of October, 2019, I boarded GIGM bus with vehicle registration number AGB197Z rom Abuja to Enugu with my mum and siblings. On getting to the boundary between Benue and Enugu( udenu before obolloafor from Benue),

around 4-5pm, we were stopped at a "stop and search" check point by the men of the Nigerian police force with vehicle number NPF7747C. The officer asked the driver to park and asked me to come down, which I obeyed and asked me "what do I do" and I explained to him that I'm

applying for my master degree while looking for job as well. He then searched me and found my phones (Samsung and iPhone 5) and wallet which he asked me to opened and found money and my "non citizen ID card" that I did while schooling in Ghana. He went on to search my

travelling bag and found nothing incriminating. He then asked me ("where are you travelling to", " where do you live"and i answered him,). He told me to follow him to another officer with the name "Ezeugo M/D" on his uniform. The officer asked me to open the phones which I

did. He ransacked the phones and said that I was using two bank accounts, that I am definitely fraudster and they would take me to the efcc to access both accounts. He threatened to handcuff me for doing nothing (rather than being a young Nigerian). They

asked me to enter the van and if I didn't, they would use force on me. Then my mum started pleading with them that they should show her what they saw which suggested that I'm what they claimed that I was. They started intimidating that I should tell my mum who I

was, threatening that by the time they are done with me, I will be calling my Ghana cohorts in the fraudster business or i should give them their share. They now gave my phones to another officer that took me to a thatched shade inside the bush and was telling me to

better admit to what they are saying and that if they start dealing with me that my mum might be heart broken and they will hold me here and tell the driver to drop my belongings and leave which will disorganise my mum. That he wouldn't like that for my mum and I should

be honest with him and tell him if I was a fraudster which I told him that I wasn't. Then he asked how much will I drop for him to beg his colleagues that they won't release me until I drop something. It then dawned on me that if I don't give them what they want I won't go then

I told him that I don't work at the moment but I will give them 500 just to appreciate them for their work and he got angry that he won't even collect 5k from me and that they should handcuff and throw me inside the van. One passenger now met us while coming out and was

asking the officer how much They want and he said 10k which I said I didn't have. They forced me inside their van which made the other passengers to start begging and negotiating with them that they are willing to raise some money for my release due to fact that they

were being delayed as well. One passenger suggested that I should give him 3k to go and plead on my behalf that even if I went with them to station that I will still pay money. Considering the time and the fact that I was already stressed out by then, I comformed.

Which they still refused that I should give them 10k then another mum in the bus joined in begging them. They later reduced it and told the negotiator to bring 5k which I had to borrow extra 2k to make up before they could let me go by 6pm. Please I schooled in Ghana

and all through my stay there I have never been humiliated and harassed by their police. I graduated with first class from the department of civil engineering, KAAF university college, an affiliate of KNUST Ghana in 2017 and served in 2018. We are all

victims of police brutality you just don't know if you are next. The Nigeria police force should stop victimizing us . Did i commit a crime by being a Nigerian living in Nigeria?
#StopRobbingUs
#endpolicebrutality
#EndSARS

@segalink
@RuggedyBaba
@PoliceNG
@PoliceNG_CRU
@PoliceNG_Enugu