So yesterday I and my friend who are graduated from EKSU who are NYSC corpers resuming in ENUGU for Posting from Ekiti state were stopped AT A CHECKPOINT by The NPF in the bus and one of us was accused of being a fraudster (Yahoo Yahoo) cos he carried a Laptop and there was tape on the webcam.
He was first suspected cos of his Looks. One of the most insane and annoying Reasons to accuse or suspect someone for fraud.
He was separated from all the passengers and our bus was delayed for 30mins everyone had to alight from the bus.
After denying or agreeing to their forceful advise to confess to what he didn’t do. The driver of the bus was asked to drop his load.
And they ordered the bus to go. After paying bus fare and our Destination was still far away imagine such cruelty.
I agreed to stay with my friend and refused to agree with their claims. His phone was Seized and denied access to any of his things. I started to make calls but MTN network was so poor in the region, we were at UDI, FRSC Enugu.
I already knew all these was a ploy to extort money from us so I kept vouching for my friend and saying I can’t leave him for them to carry on their threat to take him to EFCC office for questioning Without any evidence seen or gotten from their claim, It was a very messed up situation.
After few mins his load was put in their honda car and the Police in charge said they should take him to EFCC.
My friend agreed to accompany them since they started to talk aggressively and forceful.. note: they were armed and it’s early 2020. We know what I’m trying to say.
So I went to talk to the officer in command to let us know how my friend can be freed from whatever crime they said he committed, he said my friend and the two other officers would settle it in the car, that any arrangement (bribe/ Extortion) he wants to do he should settle it with them. He said if my friend had agreed to their claim and not played smart he would just leave us to go (A ploy again for us to implicate ourselves) I was so furious inside me but I kept my cool.
They took my friend and were already driving when I refused to let him go alone the oga called them and said I should go with them. I had already updated my NYSC group chat and asked people to start calling whoever they could to help us out. The Local Gov Inspector was msgd and called, but he was not answering calls, and the corpers were already active to solve the situation we were facing.
In the car the officer asked my friend to open his phone hoping to see any evidence but he found none. They searched even his bank alert notification and were probably disappointed.
He was allowed to make a phone call after much protesting so he called his mum, and explained what happened… She requested to speak to the officer and she did. She told them we are just coming from Ekiti state and that they should check us well and if there was nothing to say we were Yahoo boys we must be released. She told my friend she would start to make calls… That must have scared them.
We both kept our story straight and telling them that we are not fraudsters and by now they would have seen or gotten what they wanted. I explained that I was a photographer and A PR/ influencer and that our dressing or gadgets is not evidence of us as Yahoo boys.
My friend also explained to them that he was a computer science graduate and webcams are usually hacked that’s why the webcam was covered. By then they had driven us 20 mins away and passed their Police station already when they said we would pay 100,000 to clear ourselves that we have hidden all the evidence.
Such bullshit!!! We told them they’ll have to kill us to get the 100k that we came to Enugu to get cleared for the allowance from Fed govt.
The officer driving called the oga and spoke their dialect, I was sure he was saying that the ploy or operation was not successful and that we weren’t Yahoo boys they wouldn’t get any big payday money from us either ways.
So I’m sure he was instructed to return, The car was turned around and we headed back to the checkpoint the Oga was waiting.
Well they got tired I guess and the Oga started to say that we must pay for the fuel in their car since we wasted their time… wow another stunner. Inside life.. I thanked God that my thinking and Jasi was like a marlian…
My friend paid 3,000 as bail/fuel money that’s what they called it we were released.
All this had happened and then calls started to come in. The LI called me to ask what was happening, I was just furious cos his call came in Late after all had happened. I just replied we had been released.
He didn’t even ask any more questions he just dropped the call. Mtcheewww.
My friend was pissed and frustrated. A bus was stopped for us and we boarded and left.
It’s sad how things like this keep happening daily and in the face of the Government and Top Officials of the Nigerian police force.
Unapproved Checkpoints of which the main purpose is not carried out.
– Unlawful stop and search of passengers based on appearances,
– Checking of people’s phones without warrant or real evidence that the owner is a fraudster or Yahoo whatever.
– Brutal assault to unarmed citizens and youths without cause.
The List goes on and on. Something need to be done. And whoever is ready to do the right thing should start with the little they can do.
コメント