A taxi driver, identified as Umo Friday, has accused officers from the Choba Police Division in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State of assaulting him over his refusal to hand them a N100 bribe.
According to The PUNCH, recounting the incident on Thursday, Friday, a father of four, said the officers not only physically attacked him but also damaged his car, smashing the side mirror, and even threatened to shoot him.
The incident occurred around 7 p.m. on Wednesday near the NTA area of Ozuoba, as he was wrapping up his day’s work.
Friday explained that he had picked up three stranded passengers—two women and a man—from the Obiri-Kwere axis and was on his way to Ozuoba when he encountered the policemen at a checkpoint shortly after passing AIT Road.
“The three passengers couldn’t find any transport, so I decided to assist them,” he narrated. “Just after AIT in Ozuoba, the policemen at the checkpoint asked me for N100. I told them that I was helping these passengers for free, that they weren’t paying me anything. But they didn’t listen. One of them ordered me to park. Before I knew what was happening, they broke my car’s side mirror and began assaulting me. I got out of the car and demanded they fix the damage they had caused.”
The situation escalated, causing a traffic gridlock as other drivers stopped to witness the confrontation.
Friday noted that onlookers intervened, and even other policemen at the scene reprimanded their colleagues for their behaviour, leading the offending officers to plead for forgiveness.
“The policemen involved are from the Choba Area Command,” Friday continued. “They should be held accountable because their treatment of Nigerians is unfair. We are all trying to make a living in these difficult times.”
At one point, the officers reportedly threatened to open fire on him, a claim that has heightened calls for the police authorities to rein in their personnel, particularly those on stop-and-search duties.
Attempts to contact the Rivers State Police Command spokesperson, Grace Iringe-Koko, for a response were unsuccessful. Calls to her line went unanswered, and as of the time this report was filed, she had not responded to a text message sent to her phone.
