Some of her goods and other drugs were also confiscated by the policemen with the condition that another huge amount of money must be paid to them.
Personnel of the Nigeria Police Force, Delta State Command, have extorted N385,000 from an auxiliary nurse and a patent medicine store owner, Blessing Ejike, in Azagba-Ogwash community, Aniocha North Local Government Area of Delta State.
SaharaReporters learnt that six policemen committed the fraud, when they accosted the nurse, who was arrested and taken to the Azagba-Ogwash police post.
Some of her goods and other drugs were also confiscated by the policemen with the condition that another huge amount of money must be paid to them before the goods and other drugs could be released to her.
Narrating the incident to SaharaReporters, a witness, simply identified as Monica, said trouble started when the policemen stormed the nurse's patent medicine store at Azagba-Ogwash community with an unmarked sienna vehicle, alleging that she sold tramadol tablets that had been banned by the federal government.
Monica said, “The six policemen from the Delta State Police Command, Asaba, were working in synergy with the Divisional Crime Officer, Ina Lekam Ikoi, in charge of the Azagba-Ogwash police post. The six police officers arrested the nurse and seized some of her goods and drugs and took them to the Azagba-Ogwash police post. Thereafter they took the nurse to her house where a search was conducted without even a search warrant and nothing incriminating was found. At this stage, the nurse was taken back to the police post where the sum of N350,000 was extorted from her and she was released.
"But her seized goods and other drugs from her store were taken away with a condition that unless she pays another money, her seized goods and other drugs will not be released to her and that was how they were taken away to unknown destination.
“That is how the police officer in charge of Azagba-Ogwash police post collaborates with his colleagues from Asaba and other police stations to extort money from indigenes every now and then.”
Speaking with SaharaReporters on her ordeal, the nurse cried out and demanded the unconditional release of her goods and other drugs and refund of her hard earned N385,000 allegedly extorted from her by the police.
"After that arrest, just on Thursday night last week, a man who was owing me N1,500 for the treatment of his son, because of a disagreement between us, he arrested me to the Azagba-Ogwash police post. After my statement, one of the policemen, called Saturday, extorted N5,000 from me that I must report back the following day which is Friday. The following day I reported and another sum of N30,000 was again extorted from me through one of the female officers bringing the total money I paid to N385,000.
“The DCO and his officers who extorted the N35,000 from me are already denying that I should show the receipt given to me for the extortion and they are threatened me seriously. The man who is owing me N1,500 for the treatment of his son that arrested me also threatened me and should anything happens to me he should be held responsible. I am calling on the state Commissioner of Police, Ari Muhammed Ali and the Inspector-General of Police, (IGP), Usman Usman Alkali Baba, to intervene in this my case and have my seized goods and other drugs released as well as the refund of my N385,000," she pleaded.
As at the time of filing this report, Ejike's goods and other drugs confiscated by the police team from Asaba had not been released to her and when contacted on the issue, the Divisional Crime Officer, (DCO), Ina Lekam Ikoi, in charge of the Azagba-Ogwash police post said he was aware of the two cases concerning the nurse.
He also declined comments on the alleged N385,000 extorted from the nurse.