How Security Operatives Who Use POS To “Chance” Imo Residents Were Nabbed
Details of how the arrest of security operatives who use POS to defraud innocent citizens of Imo State at checkpoints have been obtained.
Recall that residents of Imo State have been lamenting excesses and uncultured approaches on them by security operatives stationed to undertake protection of lives and property.
The Police Command in Imo in a statement gave the pattern of intelligence working applied to unmask the security squad involved in the illegal act.
According to the spokesperson of the Nigerian Police, Imo State Command, some operatives of search and flush in Imo state comprising three NDLEA officers, Two Civil Defence Personnels and an inspector of police who were reported to be harassing and extorting youths in Imo state at check points has been arrested.
Some of the victims who suffered in the hands of the suspected security operatives had complained to police about how they were publicly robbed by the operatives using POS at various locations.
In the course of the investigation by the police followed the victims who took them to the various locations where the suspected operatives undertook the heinous crimes. Based on the location of the incidents, the investigators began discreet monitoring of the team until they were apprehended and paraded before the public.
Imo state Police Public Relation Officer, ASP Henry Okoye, these men from different sections of law enforcement agencies including the Nigeria Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, Nigeria Civil Defence Corps, NCDC, and Nigeria Police Force, NPF.
He said that they were alleged to have been involved in harrasment and obtaining money by force from the public, particularly the youths.
The police named them as; NA, Kelechi Chijoke, NA David Nwaji, CA 111 Nwaka Ikechukwu, DSC Ibijiaku Israel, ASC11 Omodi Timothy and Inspector Odidika Augustine.
The police further said “the Imo State government provided Hundred patrol vehicles fitted with safety and communication gadgets for the security of the state through operation Search and Flush, however, the dubious among the security outfit that made up of these outfit, resorted to making life difficult for Imo citizen through extortion with POS machines on the roads of Imo state
“The public is hereby called for investigation into the activities of these dubious operatives and ensure that disciplinary action is taken against those found guilty of these henuios crime against the society”
Interviewing two of the suspects, civil defense officer, David Nwaji denied collecting money from their victim, insisting that he had never gone beyond doing his routine job of searching for illicit drugs from the public and Odidika Augustine, an Inspector of Police claimed he didn’t collect money from the victims saying he has severally called Police Control Room reporting the way his team extort money from people and even made recorded calls to that effect yet nothing was done to arrest the perpetrators.
But a victim who introduced himself as Obiji-Pat Chidera, said he was extorted of one million naira and was later made to pay another nine hundred and fifty thousand naira by the Search and Flush officers.
The victim who hails from Umuduru Ekwe in Isu LGA of Imo state and a student of the Federal University of Technology Owerri (FUTO), further said that his younger brother was recently extorted of three hundred and fifty thousand naira for committing no offense.
Some of the items recovered from the arrested officers were twenty android phones, handbags and cash gotten from their victims.
Details of how the arrest of security operatives who use POS to defraud innocent citizens of Imo State at checkpoints have been obtained.
Recall that residents of Imo State have been lamenting excesses and uncultured approaches on them by security operatives stationed to undertake protection of lives and property.
The Police Command in Imo in a statement gave the pattern of intelligence working applied to unmask the security squad involved in the illegal act.
According to the spokesperson of the Nigerian Police, Imo State Command, some operatives of search and flush in Imo state comprising three NDLEA officers, Two Civil Defence Personnels and an inspector of police who were reported to be harassing and extorting youths in Imo state at check points has been arrested.
Some of the victims who suffered in the hands of the suspected security operatives had complained to police about how they were publicly robbed by the operatives using POS at various locations.
In the course of the investigation by the police followed the victims who took them to the various locations where the suspected operatives undertook the heinous crimes. Based on the location of the incidents, the investigators began discreet monitoring of the team until they were apprehended and paraded before the public.
Imo state Police Public Relation Officer, ASP Henry Okoye, these men from different sections of law enforcement agencies including the Nigeria Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, Nigeria Civil Defence Corps, NCDC, and Nigeria Police Force, NPF.
He said that they were alleged to have been involved in harrasment and obtaining money by force from the public, particularly the youths.
The police named them as; NA, Kelechi Chijoke, NA David Nwaji, CA 111 Nwaka Ikechukwu, DSC Ibijiaku Israel, ASC11 Omodi Timothy and Inspector Odidika Augustine.
The police further said “the Imo State government provided Hundred patrol vehicles fitted with safety and communication gadgets for the security of the state through operation Search and Flush, however, the dubious among the security outfit that made up of these outfit, resorted to making life difficult for Imo citizen through extortion with POS machines on the roads of Imo state
“The public is hereby called for investigation into the activities of these dubious operatives and ensure that disciplinary action is taken against those found guilty of these henuios crime against the society”
Interviewing two of the suspects, civil defense officer, David Nwaji denied collecting money from their victim, insisting that he had never gone beyond doing his routine job of searching for illicit drugs from the public and Odidika Augustine, an Inspector of Police claimed he didn’t collect money from the victims saying he has severally called Police Control Room reporting the way his team extort money from people and even made recorded calls to that effect yet nothing was done to arrest the perpetrators.
But a victim who introduced himself as Obiji-Pat Chidera, said he was extorted of one million naira and was later made to pay another nine hundred and fifty thousand naira by the Search and Flush officers.
The victim who hails from Umuduru Ekwe in Isu LGA of Imo state and a student of the Federal University of Technology Owerri (FUTO), further said that his younger brother was recently extorted of three hundred and fifty thousand naira for committing no offense.
Some of the items recovered from the arrested officers were twenty android phones, handbags and cash gotten from their victims.
