-Detains Suspect For 7 Days Without Bail
A fresh controversy has erupted over alleged police harassment, intimidation and extortion in Imo State following claims that an Investigation Police Officer (IPO) simply identified as Favour attached to D8 of Imo state Criminal Investigation Department(CID) took a female suspect to a bank, obtained her statement of account and allegedly compelled her to withdraw N2.9 million without a court order.
The incident reportedly arose from a dispute between the suspect and her former employer, who allegedly accused her of stealing N25 million after she decided to voluntarily resign from her employment.
The suspect’s elder brother, who identified himself as Emeka, alleged that his sister had worked diligently for the employer for about five years without any previous dispute or allegation of misconduct.
According to him, the situation changed after his sister decided to leave the employment, having allegedly received unwanted amorous advances from her employer and intending to move on with her personal life.
Emeka claimed that rather than allowing his sister to leave peacefully, the employer petitioned the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) of the Imo State Police Command, accusing her of stealing N25 million.
He said the matter was subsequently assigned for investigation and is currently before the Department of Investigation and Intelligence.
However, he expressed concern over the manner in which the investigation was allegedly being conducted, particularly the reported decision by the IPO to take his sister to a bank and allegedly compel her to withdraw N2.9 million.“My sister worked with her boss for five years without any problem. She decided to resign voluntarily, but instead of allowing her to leave peacefully, he accused her of stealing N25 million.
“He petitioned the SCID, and the matter is now before the DIB. But instead of conducting a thorough and unbiased investigation, the IPO took my sister to the bank, where her statement of account was printed and she was allegedly made to withdraw N2.9 million.
“We want to know under what authority a police officer could compel a suspect to withdraw money from her personal bank account in the course of an investigation without a valid court order,” he alleged.
The development has reportedly raised questions about the boundaries of police investigative powers, particularly where a criminal allegation involves disputed financial claims between an employer and an employee.
Emeka further alleged that his sister has remained in police custody since Tuesday last week, despite efforts by members of the family to secure her release.
When this reporter visited the Imo State Police Command to make enquiries about the matter, the officer in charge, allegedly stated that the suspect would not be granted bail unless she paid N10 million and provided an undertaking indicating when and how the remaining N13.1 million would be paid.
The family subsequently requested that the police charge the matter before a competent court if there was sufficient evidence to establish a criminal case.
“Interestingly, when she was told to charge the matter to court, she accepted. But, surprisingly, my sister was still in detention as of the time of filing this report,” Emeka alleged.
He further claimed that repeated appeals for the suspect to be granted bail pending trial were unsuccessful.
The family is now calling for an independent and transparent investigation into the circumstances surrounding the suspect’s arrest, detention and the alleged withdrawal of N2.9 million from her bank account.
They are particularly seeking clarification on whether any court order, lawful investigative directive or other legal authority existed permitting the police to obtain the suspect’s bank records and allegedly compel her to withdraw funds.
Effort to reach the Imo state Police Public Relations officer,Okonye was unsuccessful as his phone line was not reachable.
