Tony Okafor, Awka
The Anambra State Commissioner of Police (CP), Mr Echeng Echeng, has ordered investigation into an allegation of N600,500 bribe rocking some police operatives of the Onitsha Central Police Station( CPS)
The state Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Tochukwu Ikenga, who disclosed this in a statement at the weekend, said the CP had ordered an investigation into the matter.
He said the CP had vowed that the command would not tolerate any form of unprofessional conduct from the police personnel in the stare.
The PPRO’S reaction followed a complaints by a rights activist and coordinator of Behind Bars Human Rights Foundation, Harrison Gwamnishu who narrated an incident of arrest and extortion involving operatives of the command at the CPS Onitsha.
Gwamnishu had said a man identified as Chidiebere was on July 4, arrested after leaving a shopping mall where he had gone to make purchases.
He said the victim was seen by some police officers, including one Harrison Emerenini with an iPhone who later arrested him after labelling him a member of the Indigenous People of Biafra and extorted from him the sum of N600,500 after dragging him into the cell and stripped him off his clothes.
The rights activist said,”The victim succumbed to pressure after he was threatened with an Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) member tag.
Gwamnishu however disclosed that the police operatives had to return the the extorted money to the victim in full following his group’s intervention.
But Echeng, in the PPRO’S statement, vowed to uncover and punish operatives involved in the act.
The PPRO’S statement read partly“The attention of Anambra State Police Command has been drawn to a trending report from social media on extorted but recovered money from a policeman in the Command.
“The Commissioner of Police, CP Echeng Echeng has directed the Assistant Commissioner of Police in charge of X-Squad to investigate and unravel the circumstances surrounding the incident.
“The CP who frowned at such act, reiterated that the command under his watch will not tolerate any form of unprofessional conduct by police personnel.
“He (CP) also urged citizens to report any police conducts to X Squad and Public Complaints Bureau (PCB )of the Command.”