In Onitsha, Anambra State, tricycle passengers have raised serious concerns about the conduct of police officers on major roads, alleging frequent harassment, humiliation, and extortion. These incidents reportedly involve numerous roadblocks, particularly within the city.
One passenger, Kingsley Ebuka, shared his experience with a human rights office in Onitsha. Ebuka recounted an incident where he boarded a tricycle from Oba in Idemili South Local Government Area, only to be flagged down by uniformed policemen. According to Ebuka, after extorting N200 from the tricycle operator, the police ordered some passengers to disembark and surrender their mobile phones. The officers then allegedly forced the passengers to transfer substantial sums of money to a specific POS account under the threat of arrest and prosecution by the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) or the Special Anti-Cults Squad (SPACS).
Ebuka disclosed that, fearing for his safety, he transferred the remaining N150,000 from his bank account to the designated POS account. He further noted that the police used a white Hiace Commuter bus for these operations and had detained other passengers under similar threats.
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The Chairman of Campaign for Democracy (CD) in the South East Zone, Dede Uzor, also reported being a victim of such extortion. Uzor described how he managed to resist the officers by leveraging his influence until a crowd gathered, forcing the police to flee. Uzor called on the state Commissioner of Police, Nnaghe Itam, to address these issues and hold the perpetrators accountable.
The state Police Public Relations Officer, Tochukwu Ikenga, has promised an investigation into these allegations. Ikenga assured that any officers found guilty would face disciplinary action to maintain the integrity of the police force in Anambra State.
