The police in Rivers State said on Thursday that cops, who allegedly extorted money from two undergraduates of the University of Port Harcourt in Rumuologu, Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of the state, had been identified and would be punished.
The students had alleged that the policemen from the Eagle-Crack unit of the state command extorted N150,000 from them on allegations that they were Internet fraudsters.
One of the victims, who gave his name as Victor, said the officers accosted him and his friend when they went out to buy food around 11pm on Tuesday, February 16, 2021.
Victor, a final year student, said the officers forced them to withdraw the money from an Automated Teller Machine point after the policemen collected their mobile phones and threatened to take them to the EFCC or use machetes on them.
He said, “They (policemen) collected N30,000 in cash, then collected a transfer of N20,000, and N10,000 two times. Then, I withdrew N130,000 myself and gave it to them. This happened at Alakahis car wash, Rumualogu.”
The victim also said one of the officers forgot his mobile phone in his car.
“As I locked my car, I saw a phone and I remember that one of the officers used the phone while they were in my car. I switched off the phone and removed the battery,” he added.
Spokesman for the state command, Nnamdi Omoni, said the errant policemen had been identified and would be made to face the law.
“We have identified the officers, they will be arrested for them to face the music,” Omoni said.
Meanwhile, the Rivers State Police have dissolved the special police team, Eagle Crack Squad, following allegations of extortion and professional conducts against its members.