Police Officers Extort N100,000 from Data Analyst for Having Laptop and SIM Cards

A data analyst, microbiologist and technical writer, Ejike Uchenna Splendor, has narrated how he was extorted by some police officers in Enugu State who accused him of being a cybercriminal because he had a laptop and two SIM cards in his bag.

He shared his ordeal on X platform (formerly known as Twitter), where he said that the police officers stopped the bus he boarded and searched his phone and bag. They did not find anything incriminating, but they seized his two phones and asked him for the receipt of his laptop, which he said was at home.

They then told him to follow them to the station, but they diverted into a bushy area, where they threatened him with guns and violence. They said they would take him to the cybercrime unit in Enugu, where they would torture him, starve him, and frame him for false charges.

They demanded N800,000 from him to settle the matter, but he could not afford it. They eventually agreed to take N100,000 from him. They drove him to a POS shop and asked him to withdraw the money and give it to them. After that, they stopped another bus for him to enter.

He said he was so scared and traumatized by the whole experience. He felt sick and exhausted when he got home.

He expressed his disbelief that some police officers could be so corrupt and wicked. He wondered how many innocent people have suffered the same fate or worse in their hands.

“So police stopped me on the road and collected 100k from me because i had my laptop and i didn’t bring the receipt

“they first of all asked the bus i boarded to go, the driver wanted to insist and the shunned him and he left.

“they searched my phone and every chat i had, they didn’t see anything incriminating.

“then they moved to search my bag and emptied everything they still didn’t see anything

“then they went to my laptop bag, searched and asked for the receipt, i said it was at home. i asked for my phone to call for the receipt but they already seized it (my two phones)

“they also saw 2 sim cards i normally use for my wifi, they said that in Enugu state it is illegal to have multiply sim cards laying in my bags just like that. they said that i must be using it for something fishy.

“they asked me to come with them to the station, i obliged and they started moving but was moving very slowly and this is when they started telling me i should settle them or they will take me to cybercrime unit in enugu.

“they also left the road and start moving into a bushy area, i was scared frrrr

“because the amount of threats i received from them on how they will pin accusations to me has me thinking of my life and how bad things could go from good to worse.

“they said they will beat me first and starve me for a full day before they start entertaining any calls or whatever for me, i had to give in into their demands because they all had guns

“at first the said i should bring 800k, omoo we dragged it till they agreed for me to pay 100k

“they drove me to a POS shop parked and asked me to go withdraw the money and return back, which i did and then they stopped another bus for me to enter

“i’m home now

“ngl i feel sick and exhausted and for one minute my life flashed before my eyes”

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