FIJ
Kehinde Folami (not real name), an Ondo State resident, has narrated to FIJ how policemen extorted N61,000 from him and a friend on Friday.
The 23-year-old student said he was travelling with his friend from Akure, the Ondo State capital, to Benin in Edo State when policemen stopped their vehicle.
He said the policemen accused them of fraud, took them to a bush and threatened to shoot them dead if they didn’t pay a ransom.
Folami said they were made to part with a combined N61,000 before they were let go by the police.
Recounting his ordeal, he said, “A friend and I were travelling from Akure to Benin. Along the Owo road, some 15 minutes to Benin, policemen stopped us.
“They said they wanted to search us, as we were the only young boys in the vehicle.
“So, I brought down my bag. They searched and didn’t see anything. I told them I was a student, then they took us across the road and said they wanted to search our pockets.
“I emptied my pockets, and there was nothing. They then branded us ‘Yahoo’ boys. So, I gave them my phone and told them to search through it. When they did and found nothing, they started harassing us and asking us to get into their vehicle.
“Before I could call for help, the bus driver dropped my bag and my friend’s in front of the police and left.
“We were in the middle of nowhere. The police said they were taking us to a police station, but they took us into a bush. I was speaking up but my friend was crying.
“They told us they could shoot and kill us and nothing would happen as no one knew where we were.
