Agbede – Police operatives attached to Edo state government’s security outfit, codenamed ‘Operation WABAIZINGA’ has allegedly extort one Mr Tobechukwu Divine, of the sum of N280,000, along the Benin-Auchi-Okene express way, at Agbede in Etsako-West Local Government Area of the state, while on his way from Auchi to see his sick fiance (name witheld) at Warri, in Delta State.

The operatives with WABAIZIGAN’s operational vehicle ‘012’, had on 15th August 2019 flagged Mr. Divine to stop, and went through his vehicle particulars, and later went ahead to demand he give them N300,000 to let him go.

According to a human rights activist, Comrade Bernard Osagie who posted the incident on his social media page, Divine was ‘forced’ to withdrew the N300,000 from a Point Of Sale (POS) machine at Aviele, and handed it over to the operatives, who returned N20,000 out of the amount to him.

An excerpt of the post read: “even the police men confirmed that his papers were correct but said that he must be a yahoo boy since he’s driving a Toyota Camry of which he was taken inside the bush and his car keys seized.

“He was asked to bring the sum of #300,000 (Three Hundred Thousand naira) or he won’t be released. he was also being threatened as he don’t know what they might do to him if he keeps arguing with them since they are now inside the bush.

“With the fear of not being harmed by the men, he went to the nearest POS stand at Aviele and withdraw the sum of N300,000 and gave to them of which the same police men gave N20,000 back to him out of pity”.

It was however gathered that, the matter was reported at Agbede police station, where the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) promised to investigate it.

From Agbede, the matter was transferred to the police headquarters in Benin city, where the operatives, and the victims are expected to appear before the commissioner of police, Danmallam Mohammed, Tuesday 27th August, 2019, as part of ongoing investigations.

“The command will be trying those involved on the 27th August at the state headquarters in Benin, and I have sent message to him (victim) to be there to testify, he has to be there to see the commissioner, and stand for his right. If he is not there, the case will fail, the money will lose”, a police operative who craved anonymity told The Nigerian Observer

Meanwhile, the victim could not be reached as at the time of filing this report.