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Two police personnel attached to the Aba Area Command have allegedly demanded a bribe of N600,000 to release some workers of a company, Livestock Feeds, accused of theft.
The personnel are identified as the Investigating Police Officer (IPO) of the case identified as Uche and her superior officer, Akudo Ogbonna.
SaharaReporters gathered that the workers have been illegally detained since Friday after the company alleged that its raw materials were missing.
Without any investigation, 10 workers of the company were reportedly arrested and put behind bars.
SaharaReporters learnt that four of them were released after allegedly paying N100,000 each while the six others have remained in detention for failing to pay bribes to secure their release.
“If them no fit pay, na here them go stay. Na day una bring the money I go release am for you, ask others how much dem pay (If they can’t pay, they will remain in the cell. Any day they pay, I will release them. Ask others how much they paid),” Uche, the case IPO is heard saying in voice note obtained by SaharaReporters on Sunday.
Speaking to SaharaReporters, a relative of one of the arrested workers said, “As I’m speaking to you, at 1 pm on Sunday, October 6, 2024, I’m at the Area Command in Aba, Abia State. A family member was arrested and was taken to this Area Command police station.
“He and others were wrongly accused by his company, Livestock Feeds, without any investigation. It’s a company that produces chicken feeds. They claimed that their raw materials were missing, so they got all their 10 staff members arrested. Raw materials were missing and you asked police to arrest all your staff members from A to Z without any investigation.
“On October 4, 2024, we went there to bail them out but the police said they were doing an investigation. Yesterday, October 5, 2024, we went back to the Area Command but the IPO of the matter, Uche, and one Akudo Ogbonna told us they can’t establish any form of theft and that investigation has been concluded but we must pay N100,000 for each of the workers to be released.
“About 10 of them, four workers out of 10 have paid N100,000 each. The remaining six are yet to pay N100,000 each. As we are talking now, she’s still demanding N100,000 each unless she won’t release them. You said the investigation has been concluded and there was no form of theft, yet we must pay N100,000 each, that’s N600,000 for the remaining six workers.
“Please, I want all well-meaning Nigerians to look into this. Police Uche and her superior in the matter, Akudo Ogbonna, are extorting innocent Nigerians at that Area Command.”
SaharaReporters’ attempts to contact ASP Maureen C. Chinaka, the spokesperson for the Abia State Police Command, were met with silence.
Despite placing calls, there was no response, and a text message sent to her line remained unanswered as of the time of reporting.
However, Kayode Ajayi, Area Commander, Aba Area Command, confirmed the arrest of the workers.
He said, “There was a petition submitted to my office by a company through their lawyer, about 10 staff members of the company were accused of embezzling over N70 million. They were brought to my office for interview, I spoke to all of them. They later agreed to look for the money among themselves.
“I told the IPO I don’t like detaining suspects for more than 48 hours in the cell, so I told them to be released since they have agreed or be charged to court.
“Someone as well called me last night that the IPO was demanding N100,000 for his relative to be released. So I spoke to Uche and asked why he wasn’t following my order that they should be released, he said the guy said he won’t make any contribution to the company as agreed.
“I know four of them have been released and the remaining six are still in the cell because nobody has come for them or how much they will contribute to the company, not for bail.”
When told of being in possession of an audio recording of the IPO Uche requesting for N100,000 bribe, he said, “I don’t go to work on Sunday, so I can’t be aware.
“But the person who sent the audio should have waited till tomorrow so I can deal with Uche myself. I don’t condone indiscipline. Let the family of the suspects still in detention see me tomorrow.”
