Police Return N3 Million Extorted from Nigerian Man at Gunpoint in Bayelsa

The Nigerian Police have returned the N3 million extorted at gunpoint from a Nigerian man, Kelechi Isaac, by police operatives in Bayelsa State.

Incident Recap

The incident occurred on August 26 at the Odi Axis of Bayelsa State, where five police officers flagged down Mr. Isaac’s vehicle while he was returning from a wedding with two friends. The officers reportedly forced him, at gunpoint, to transfer N3 million to two separate bank accounts.

Mr. Isaac, who is based in Ghana but hails from Nguru Nworie in Aboh Mbaise Local Government Area of Imo State, recounted his ordeal, leading to public outcry and police action.

Arrest of Officers

Following investigations, the Bayelsa State Police Command confirmed the arrest of the officers involved. Police spokesperson, Assistant Commissioner Muyiwa Adejobi, stated that the implicated officers were attached to the Zone 16 Headquarters.

Assistant Inspector-General of Police, Paul Omata, later confirmed that the stolen funds were recovered from the operatives on September 5.

Money Returned to Victim

However, there was an initial delay in returning the funds due to a disagreement between Mr. Isaac and the authorities over the location of the handover, with Mr. Isaac citing concerns for his safety in Bayelsa.

On Friday, September 13, Mr. Isaac confirmed to SK Blog that he had finally received the money. Though the police initially returned the funds in cash, Isaac insisted on using a Point of Sale (POS) machine to transfer the amount back into his account for safety reasons.

“They handed me the money in cash, but I refused to touch it and requested a POS agent to make the transfer, which they did,” he said