The Commissioner of Police in Cross River State, Augustine Grimah, has successfully identified and apprehended a group of police officers accused of manhandling and robbing an innocent member of the public last week.
The incident came to light after Archibong Hashbury Efefiom filed a complaint, detailing how the officers robbed and threatened his friend, who was visiting Calabar, the state capital. Upon receiving the complaint, the Commissioner invited the victim to identify the officers involved.
During the process, the victim was able to recognize the perpetrators, prompting the Commissioner to order the immediate return of the N70,000 the officers had coerced from the victim through a POS transfer.
This incident marks the second time in recent weeks that Commissioner Grimah has taken swift action to address such abuses by law enforcement officers. In this case, the victim described how he was forcibly detained and made to transfer the money at gunpoint in the dead of night, highlighting the serious nature of the crime.
“On Wednesday, January 19th, 2025, at 8 PM after a day of working from home. I was standing in front of my street when two vehicles pulled up in front of me. The occupants called me to approach them. Given that it was dark and some of the individuals were wearing masks, I hesitated because I couldn’t identify who they were.
“Suddenly, one of them got out of the vehicle and insisted on searching me. I resisted, as they had not stated what I was being accused of or why I was being approached. Their next move was to try to force me into the back of a Hilux van. I again resisted, as they had not clearly explained the reason for their actions.
“As the situation escalated, more police officers emerged from the vehicles, and they began hitting and slapping me repeatedly in the face. I was eventually shoved into one of the vehicles—the Hilux. While in transit, the officers stopped to pick up random individuals from the street. At this point, I was handcuffed to one of these strangers.
“Once we arrived at the police station, we were ordered to get out of the vehicle and sit on the floor. Our phones were confiscated and placed on a table. The officers then started threatening me, questioning why I had resisted them. Some of their threats included ensuring my “disappearance” for a month and forcibly taking me away from the station.
“As time passed, the other people who had been picked up along the road began talking to different officers and, eventually, they were all released. After a while, one officer approached me and told me to write a statement. He practically guided me through the process of writing the statement, which I did, clearly explaining the events that had transpired.
“One of the policemen then demanded that I unlock my phones, and he began going through them. Shortly after, the officer who had been helping me with the statement informed me that I needed to pay 200,000 naira if I wanted to be released. I told him that I didn’t have that amount, and after some back-and-forth, the figure was reduced to 70,000 naira.
“They instructed me to wait inside the Hilux, and I was driven from the State CID to Barack Road. The officers stopped at a shop, where I was escorted to a man who facilitated the transfer of the money via a POS machine. I was charged an additional 2,800 naira as a transaction fee, and in total, I transferred 72,800 naira to the man. In return, I was given 70,000 naira in cash, which I handed over to the police officer in the vehicle.
“Once the officer counted the money to confirm the total, they finally dropped me off at Mayne Avenue, near Atu, stating that it would be easier for me to find transport home from that location.”
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Social activist and publisher Agba Jalingo, who facilitated the meeting between the Commissioner of Police (CP) and the victim, praised the CP for his swift action in addressing the issue.
He condemned the police officers’ behavior, describing it as a clear example of impunity.
Jalingo emphasized the importance of handling such matters through proper channels, stating, “I want to reiterate that this approach is far better than individuals taking the law into their own hands by assaulting security personnel under any pretext when incidents like this occur.”
He added that while the process of correcting such egregious actions may take time, it remains the most effective and just course of action.
