Pecohub The National Youth Alliance, NYA Imo State chapter has served a seven-day ultimatum to the Joint Taskforce (JTF) to stop extorting money from residents or contend with a protest rally
The group expressed concern at the high level of extortion, intimidation and harassment being perpetrated by members of the JTF comprising policemen, soldiers and operatives of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps in Imo State.
In a statement signed by its state Chairman, Theodore Chinonso Ubah, the NYA said this unprofessional conduct of the security personnel was worse in the buildup to the 2023 general polls in the state.
According to him, members of the JTF were brazen extorted money from Imo residents especially the youths.
He listed the flashpoints of the mindless extortion to include AA Rano; Shoprite Egbu Road; Road Safety Egbu, Ubomiri-Ohii Junction, Amakohia Flyover, Spibat Road Amakohia and St Tansi Catholic Church Orji.
Others were Orji Flyover ,Obilubi-Akabo Road, Atta Ikeduru-Okigwe Road, Fire Service Owerri, Akachi-Aba Road and Agbala- Aba Road.
The rest were Airport Junction, Mbaise-Umuahia Road, Civic Centre-Concord Road, Akwakuma Junction and Obinze-Port Harcourt Road.
He further disclosed that police officers driving in Keke buses randomly prey on youths in areas such as Douglas Road, Wetheral Road, Orji axis, Irete, Orogwe, Ogbaku, Warehouse junction, Ikenegbu, World Bank/Umuguma, Umudagu Mbieri Road, Naze and Uratta.
On nabbing their victims , Ubah said the police officers would drive these youths round Owerri negotiating and extorting huge sums of money from them.
He added that students are not spared by the JTF, stressing some students have lost their school fees to the security personnel, who threaten the students with death or falsely accuse them of membership of a separatist movement.
According to Ubah, youths who drive factory fresh cars and adorn designer-chic attires are the targets of the extortionists.
He claimed these JTF members have fleeced money totaling about N50 million from residents of the state between 2022 and 2024.
Ubah further alleged that Imo State has lost critical investment and business opportunities because investors and business men are scared of coming to state be of the activities of the extortionists.
According to the NYA chairman, the efforts of the state Commissioner of Police CP Aboki Danjuma and the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun to rein in their officers have not yielded much fruits.
“The Inspector General of Police has warned police officers to refrain from searching peoples phones and laptops nationwide, but as other police officers obey the order, some of them in Imo state have grown deaf ears to this”, Ubah said adding; “Searching of people’s phones by security agents have become endemic in Imo”.
Ubah warned that Imo youths will no longer keep quiet because the frustration is getting out of hand.
He said the NYA Imo State chapter is giving the Imo police and the Joint Task Force seven days to stop the extortion of Imo residents especially the youths., pointing out that
If after seven days, the extortion continues, the National Youth Alliance NYA would declare a 3 -day protest throughout the state to draw the attention of the international community and federal government to the plight of Imo residents.
