Police officers in Ebonyi allegedly extort Nigerian students returning from Cyprus

The Nigerian police force in Ebonyi State has been accused of torturing students who recently returned from universities in Cyprus and Norway.

The students, Nnaji Samuel Chidiebere, Obiedelu Chigozle, Ezeah Izuchukwu, and Omagba Solomon, were said to have arrived in Nigeria late in November 2022 to celebrate the holidays with their families.

However, the police arrested them at GRA Trans Ekulu, Enugu State, in a commando-style operation and framed them for hacking into the Facebook account and phone number of the Vice Chancellor of Alex Ekwueme University, Abakaliki, Ebonyi.

The police then extorted N5.5 million from the students by forcing them to withdraw the money from their bank accounts.

The students were tortured, forced to confess under duress, and detained for nine days without access to their families or lawyers.

The lawyer of the students has petitioned the Inspector General of Police to transfer the case to Abuja or Umuahia for a fair investigation.