Some operatives of the Nigeria Police Force attached to Zone 7 in Abuja have been accused of extorting over ₦8.6 million from a group of university students after allegedly labelling them internet fraud suspects and threatening them against reporting the incident.
The incident reportedly occurred in the Gwarinpa area of the Federal Capital Territory, where the students from Kogi State were said to be lodging in a hotel before armed officers allegedly raided their rooms.
Sources familiar with the matter said about six officers forced their way into the students’ rooms, accused them of engaging in “Yahoo Yahoo” (internet fraud), and arrested them without presenting evidence.
The students were reportedly taken to the Zone 7 Police Command headquarters in Wuse Zone 3, where they were detained and allegedly subjected to intimidation and threats while in custody.
According to one source, the students were warned that the situation could worsen if they failed to cooperate with the officers’ demands.
While in detention, the victims were allegedly compelled to transfer a total of ₦8,620,000 to a Point of Sale (POS) account reportedly provided by the officers. Sources further claimed that the POS operator used for the transaction was located directly opposite the police facility, raising concerns about possible collusion.
The students were said to have been released only after completing the payment and were allegedly warned not to report the incident or face serious consequences.
Concerned individuals, including a student union leader from the victims’ institution, later reported the case to the Complaint Response Unit (CRU) at the Force Headquarters in Abuja.
However, sources alleged that the officers involved have claimed to enjoy strong connections within the police hierarchy, discouraging the victims from pursuing the matter further.
One officer identified simply as “Bassey” was also mentioned by sources as being linked to the alleged misconduct. Evidence, including transaction receipts and phone numbers reportedly connected to the officers, has been submitted as part of the complaint.
When contacted on Tuesday, the Investigating Police Officer handling the case declined to comment on the allegations.
