Ugo Nosiri, Owerri
Six operatives of “Operation Search and Flush,” have been paraded by the Imo State Police Command.
The suspects were said to have extorted sums of money from unsuspecting civilians at different locations in the state.
According the Command, one of their victims, Nnaemeka Pat Obiji, “was made to transfer a total of N360,000 on 07/09/2023 along Ohii/Egbeada, Orlu road via an Opay POS agent into account details; 7039217324, Edith David Jatto.”
The same team was equally alleged to have robbed N959,000 from Mr Eluigwe Christian on 8/09/2023 and N30,000 from Princess Chisom Duru on 12/09/2023 via the same POS transfer.
The state Commissioner of Police, Ahmed Barde, while briefing newsmen said three of the arrested officers are operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), while two are operatives of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps and the other, a police officer.
CP Barde gave the names of the suspects as Kelechi Chijioke, David Nwaji and Nwaka Ikechukwu of NDLEA.
Others were Obijiaku Israel and Omodi Timothy of Civil Defense; and Odidika Augustine, a police officer.
Barde described the act of extortion at gunpoint as armed-robbery and regretted the rate of extortion, harassment and intimidation of innocent citizens by the various security agencies in the state especially operatives of operation search and flush.
He disclosed that proper investigation is ongoing and the errant officers will be properly sanctioned.
He further warned officers of the police and other security agencies who paint a bad image of the Nigeria Police Force by engaging in extortion, bribery, kidnapping and others, to turn new leaves or face the consequences when caught.
Operation Search and Flush, according to him, is a joint task security force established by the state government, which comprises the police, NDLEA, Civil Defence and so on.
Most of the victims of the search and flush team present at the parade said they were labeled yahoo boys and forced to pay money at gunpoint.
“We were on transit when the police stopped us and started searching us. They said we are yahoo boys but when they searched our phones, they did not find any incriminating thing in them. Yet they still force us to pay money,” one of the victims cried out.
One of the suspects, David Nwaji, an NDLEA officer, denied the allegations insisting that he had never gone beyond doing his routine job of searching for illicit drugs from the public.
Some of the items recovered from the arrested officers were twenty android phones, hand bags and cash gotten from their victims.
