The Imo State Police Command has ordered an investigation into allegations that operatives of the Joint Task Force (JTF) extorted ₦515,000 from a student travelling from Owerri to Aba.
The investigation follows a viral social media post by Stephen Nnaemeka Cookey, who claimed he was forced to transfer the money to his alleged attackers after being stopped at a security checkpoint along the Owerri-Aba Road on Sunday.
In a statement shared on its verified X account, the Imo State Police Command said Commissioner of Police Audu Garba Bosso had directed the Command’s X-Squad and Complaint Response Unit (CRU) to investigate the allegations involving the Joint Task Force, which comprises personnel from multiple security agencies.
The Assistant Director of Army Public Relations and spokesperson for the 34 Artillery Brigade, Owerri, Major Hashimu Abdullahi, also confirmed that the Nigerian Army would investigate the claims. Responding to the allegation, he simply stated, “It will be investigated.”
According to Cookey, he was returning to Aba after sitting for the mandatory Post-Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (Post-UTME) at Imo State University (IMSU) when a team of security operatives stopped the commercial vehicle he was travelling in shortly after the Owerri Airport Junction.
He alleged that officers ordered him and two other young men out of the bus before allowing the others to leave. After searching his bag and finding nothing incriminating, Cookey said another officer demanded access to his mobile phone and banking applications. He claimed the officers became interested after discovering about ₦1.8 million in one of his bank accounts, which he said was meant for his university expenses.
Cookey further alleged that he was handcuffed, forced into a Hilux vehicle and taken to a secluded location, where the operatives threatened to implicate him in a crime unless he surrendered part of the money. He said negotiations followed before he eventually transferred ₦515,000 through a Point-of-Sale (PoS) operator. According to him, he was also compelled to pay an additional ₦15,000 as transaction charges.
Appealing for intervention, the student urged the Inspector-General of Police to ensure the money is recovered, insisting the funds were intended to cover his educational expenses at IMSU.
The Police Command has yet to release the identities of the officers allegedly involved or provide further details on the investigation. Authorities have assured the public that the matter will be thoroughly examined, while the Army has also pledged to investigate the allegations.
