A businessman, identified simply as Uzoma Godswill, has recounted a harrowing experience in which he was abducted by police officers in Rivers State, beaten and had N1 million withdrawn from his account.

Godswill shared his ordeal in an audio clip posted on the X handle of Harrison Gwamnishu, a renowned human rights activist.

He described how he had travelled to Port Harcourt to visit his brother who had recently returned from abroad. On his way back to Awka, between 5 pm and 6 pm, along Elele Road, he encountered multiple police checkpoints. At one checkpoint, his car was searched, but nothing was found.

Continuing his narration, Godswill stated that after driving about 10 kilometres, he encountered six policemen dressed in black inside a Sienna car. They stopped him, asked him to open his boot, and checked his papers. When they found nothing, they asked about his belongings. Godswill mentioned his phones, which were then taken to the back of the Sienna. He identified himself as a businessman selling drinks in Awka.

He said, “I came to Port Harcourt to see my brother who just came back from abroad. On my way going back to Awka between 5pm to 6pm, along Elele road I passed four Police checkpoints and at one of the checkpoints my car was searched and they did not see anything.

“Then I drove like 10 kilometres and met about six policemen, all of them on black overalls, inside a Sienna car and they stopped me and asked me to open my boot, checked my papers. They asked me if I have any other thing in my car I said my phones; they ask to bring it and took to the back of the Sienna and asked me what I do for a living and I said I’m a businessman; that I sell drinks at Awka.

“They now ask me to open my phone and I ask what for then I said let me call DSP, the moment they heard me mention DSP they started beating me. I can’t hear very well again with my two ears, my eye is swollen and I’m still bleeding till now.”

Despite opening his phone for inspection, the police found nothing incriminating except for a credit alert from his account officer credited to him on Wednesday. They continued to assault him and pressured him to confess to being an internet fraudster, which he refused.

Around 7pm, the police drove him from Elele to Warri Road, where they forcibly withdrew N1 million from his account using his ATM card and PIN. They also withdrew N20,000 as a charge at a POS terminal.

He said, “They asked me if my ATM can withdraw the N1 million in the account. I told them I’ve not done it before. They took my ATM and asked me to call my pin which I did. They now went to POS and withdrew N500,000 twice which is N1 million and N20,000 which the POS girl collected as charges.”

In response to the incident, the Rivers State Police stated they are aware and have requested the victim to visit the office of the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) at the Police Command Headquarters on Moscow Road, Port Harcourt to file a complaint for the commencement of investigation.