Joseph Ejiro, a fashion designer, narrated how policemen from Festac Division framed him up for offences he didn’t commit and how they asked him to pay N500,000 before he could be allowed to go.
Less than one week after a report of how some policemen attached to the Lagos State Police Command extorted a young man of N705,000, another peraon has narrated his ordeal with the police.
Joseph Ejiro, a fashion designer, narrated how policemen from Festac Division framed him up for offences he didn’t commit and how they asked him to pay N500,000 before he could be allowed to go.
In a post on Twitter, Ejiro who tweets at @josephejiro, described the experience as “terrible”, adding that he was beaten, tortured and threatened to be killed.
He said, “The last few days have been some of the most depressing in my life.
"I have debated whether or not to talk about this, what the point would be other than rehashing a terrible experience but the kindness and outrage of friends in the last few days have affirmed to me that I’m not crazy or overly dramatic for feeling this way. Violated. Expendable. Afraid.
“I was kidnapped, beaten, tortured, threatened with death by members of the @PoliceNG.
“What does freedom mean when policemen can force you into their van, torture you, and threaten to kill you if you don’t pay ransom?
“November 21, I was at Festac to make a delivery to a client.
"Heading home, a police officer (wearing a police polo shirt with no name tag) blocked my path at Second Rainbow Junction and told me his boss wanted to speak to me. This was around 11:00am.
“I asked what the problem was and he said there was no problem, just to come with him. "The officer led me to a police mini bus parked in front of the petrol station at Second Rainbow junction.
"There were seven policemen inside the bus.
“The officers asked what was in my bag, grabbed it before I could respond, and went through it.
"Money, phone charger, ear phones. They demanded that I unlock my phone and give it to them. I asked again what the problem was and why they needed to go through my phone.
“They repeated their order, crowding me but even though I was terrified, I refused to hand them my phone until they told me why they wanted to go through my phone.
“The policemen pushed me into their mini bus and took turns beating me.
"My cries fell on deaf ears. They handcuffed me and made the cuffs so tight it cut off blood flow and my hands went numb. I was screaming in pain and begging them to loosen the cuffs. They refused.
“They forced my finger onto my fingerprint scanner and unlocked my phone. One of them got behind the wheel, started the bus, and they took me to their station at 7th Avenue Festac Town police post.
"On the way, they threatened to kill me and dump my body in a ditch, threatened to frame me with the charge of any crime they deemed fit.
"Having gone through my phone and finding nothing incriminating, they took pictures of me with their phones, putting objects in my hands I couldn’t see and taking snapshots.
“Each time I made to look at the things they were putting in my hands, I was slapped and told to look up at the camera.
"Then they started demanding money. N500, 000.
“I kept pleading with them that I didn’t have any money. From N500, 000 they brought it down to N400, 000.
“Eventually, one of them made me unlock my phone, opened my GTBank App and forced me to transfer N185,000 to this bank account: Ashamo Oluwasola Samuel, Unity Bank, 0040509699.
"They said this was the only way I was going to be released if I didn't want to end up in prison.
“They made me transfer all the money I had in my account, leaving me with only N3,500.
"They also took the N5,000 cash I had in my bag, leaving me with the 250 change that was in my pocket.
"They finally let me go at about 7:00pm."
Ejiro said he has been in contact with the police and all effort made to report the matter was not successful as the force did not listen to him.
He added, “I have been in contact with the IG’s office, called the police public complaints hotline, been directed to their WhatsApp to send my account of everything that happened.
"So far, I haven’t gotten any feedback on my complaint.
“My messages on WhatsApp have been read, but there’s no response.
"I don’t know what to do anymore. I need my money back. I need those officers to be punished."
Ejiro informed SaharaReporters that he has been contacted by the police and he would be meeting with the police today.
Meanwhile, the Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, Bala Elkana, has asked Ejiro to visit the command headquarters in Ikeja to lodge official complaint while promising that the matter would be thoroughly investigated.