Naija Philia!

Three policemen attached to the Rivers State Police Command are confirmed to have forced two victims, at gunpoint, to part with with the sum of $3,000.

The names of the offending policemen are:

• Inspector Michael Odey
• Assistant Superintendent of Police Doubara Edonyabo, and
• Assistant Superintendent of Police Talent Mungo.

This was confirmed in a statement issued by Superintendent of Police Grace Woyengikuro Iringe-Koko, who is the Public Relations Officer of the Rivers Command.

According to her, the money has since been recovered from the officers and refunded to the victims.

Also, Inspector Michael Odey has been dismissed from the Police effective 07 February 2024 after the Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG) Zone 16 Bayelsa State, Alifa Omata, upheld the recommendation of the Rivers State command which had recommended that the 3 officers be dismissed.

Asked why the two others were not dismissed, Mrs Iringe-Koko said it was because of their ranks; as ASPs, their recommendation for dismissal is beyond what an AIG can review.

“The disciplinary process for Assistant Superintendents of Police (ASPs) Doubara Edonyabo and Talent Mungo involves review by the Inspector General of Police and the Police Service Commission, ensuring a fair and just resolution.

“Rivers State Police Command encourages residents to promptly report any misconduct by law enforcement agents. Be rest assured, all reports will be handled with utmost seriousness, and appropriate action will be taken to uphold fairness and justice.

“It is important to note that all three officers remain in custody as investigations continue into two additional cases of similar nature. Updates on these investigations will be provided in due course,” she added.

BACKSTORY

Prince Harrison Gwamnishu, a human rights activist from Delta State, had on 17 January 2024 drawn the attention of the police authorities to the incident of extortion, via a post on his Twitter handle, @HarrisonBbi18.

Mr Gwamnishu alleged that the officers left Rivers State to Aba, where they “abducted” the 2 victims and took them to Delta and Bayelsa states before “dumping” them in Port Harcourt after extorting the $3,000 from them, equivalent to ₦4.2 million as of January.

Police PRO in Rivers, Mrs Iringe-Koko, swiftly reacted to the tweet, and later updated the public that the officers had been identified, detained, and the money recovered and refunded to the victims.

After investigation, the police in Rivers recommended that all the three officers be dismissed.

Apart from these 3 officers, other police officers in the country are reported to have engaged in series of extortions since the beginning of this year, a development that forced the Inspector-General of Police to issue a statement that any officer found guilty of using his name to extort Nigerians will face severe punishment.