- A Nigerian man reported an incident of police brutality and extortion in Owerri, Imo State, on social media.
- He described being harassed, physically assaulted, and extorted by officers of the Nigerian Police Force.
- The post included a video showing visible bruises on his face, supporting his allegations.
A Nigerian man has taken to social media to share a distressing account of alleged police brutality and extortion in Owerri, Imo State.
In a post shared via X (formerly Twitter), the man detailed how he was harassed, physically assaulted, and extorted by officers of the Nigerian Police Force. Accompanying his post was a video that showed visible bruises on his face, adding weight to his claims.
He said the incident occurred while he was heading out to get food when police officers stopped him and ordered him to enter their vehicle. When he questioned their request, he was allegedly slapped by one of the officers.
“They said I should go into the car with them, I said why should I go into the car with you people, one from inside the car slapped me. I entered the car, they handcuffed my hand first, they started asking me what do I do, where am I from, what do I do,” he narrated.
He went on to describe how the officers physically assaulted him further:
“They were hitting me so hard. I’m making this video to raise awareness — this police harassment, they’ve not stopped, they’re still stopping young boys, harassing them, extorting money from them.”
According to him, they later drove him to a bushy area where they forced him to unlock his phone and access his bank account. Despite finding nothing incriminating, they allegedly demanded money from him.
“They took me to inside bush to open my phone, they beat me, I transferred the ₦30,000 in my account to them. When I gave it to them, they gave me my phone, ATM card and told me to go,” he recounted.
He concluded his video with an emotional plea:
“This is becoming too much in Owerri, Imo State, there’s no free movement again. This is what happened to me this morning, when I went to get something to eat, police people.”
The video has since gone viral, sparking widespread concern and calls from citizens and activists for urgent action to address recurring incidents of police brutality and extortion, especially targeting young people across the country.
See post below:
