There has been ongoing daily, massive extortions by policemen in the neighborhood of Atakpa police station in Calabar where a policeman, Inspector Effiong Bassey shot and killed two and injured several other persons on 23 March 2025.
Different sets of police teams of six operatives are usually deployed from about 7.30pm to the Calabar Road near Watt Market opposite the Post Office Calabar., next to their station, where they stop every passing vehicles, commercial or private, for supposed stop and search.
Findings confirmed that instead of properly searching the vehicles, they forcibly extort N200 and N500 from every commercial bus, using guns, as from 8pm every evening till 10.30pm.
It was confirmed this as our correspondents has visited the scene more than twice and witnessed these extortions by the policemen.
He spoke with some of the bus drivers who lamented that each time they pass the ‘checkpoint’, they must part with either N500 or N200 no matter the explanation.
An 18-seater commercial bus driver, Young Emmanuel, said, “My brother, these policemen have taken this thing as a right, forcing us to give them money.
“They will never listen to any explanation, whether you pass the road five times, you must give them money, not lower than N200.
“They threaten you with their guns to give them money. They will bark, shout, aim their guns at drivers and threaten to pull the trigger.
“If you refuse to part with money, maybe because you have passed more than once or twice, they will force you to park, delaying you for nearly one hour.
“Multiply N500 by the endless stream of commercial vehicles on both sides of the very busy market road, and you stagger at how much they make every night.”
Another bus driver who ply another route in other Calabar suburbs, Orji Igwe said the same extortion is ongoing on even the popular Marian Road.
He said the extortion is not only done in the night on other roads but round the clock.
“They’re not particular about checking road worthiness of vehicular papers or licence as they claim, but that’s a cover up.
“When they call out for vehicle papers, they actually mean ‘Bring money’”
When approached, one of the policemen in the team at Atakpa without a name tag but simply said his name is Peter, shouted at this reporter who sought to know what the money they were forcibly collecting from motorists was for.
He got angry and threatened this reporter, asking what his interest was.
Calls to the state Commissioner of Police, Mr Olusegun Omosanyin, were not successful. However, the state Deputy PPRO, Igri Ewa said, “Thank you for the information. We will verify..”
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