“Bayelsa Police Under Fire as Youth Alleges Extortion, Illegal Detention at Yenagoa Checkpoint”
By Passman Akpos
A Bayelsa youth, Fun-ebi Progress, has alleged that he was handcuffed, detained for over an hour, and forced to part with money by police officers at a checkpoint along the New Yenagoa Express Road after returning from the 69th Ogori Ba Uge International Festival in Odi community.
In a lengthy social media post that has sparked widespread reactions, Progress claimed the incident occurred while he was traveling through the Crossroads axis on the route linking Tombia to Otuoke, Imiringi, and Otuasega.
According to him, police officers stopped the vehicle he was traveling in, handcuffed him, seized his phone, and placed him inside a police Toyota Hilux despite his insistence that he had committed no offence.
He alleged that the officers intimidated him and other occupants of the vehicle while demanding money for their release.
“Today, for the first time in my life, I know what handcuffs feel like and what it is like to sit in a police Toyota Hilux,” he wrote.
Progress further alleged that the officers described common personal items, including condoms, sildenafil tablets, and Zevit supplements, as illegal items, a claim he said left him shocked.
He also claimed that four other young men were brought into the police vehicle over allegations ranging from wearing camouflage shorts and face caps to possessing foreign currencies, a laptop suspected by officers to be stolen, and discrepancies in vehicle colour documentation.
According to his account, the officers allegedly confiscated the phones of those detained to prevent them from recording videos or livestreaming the encounter.
He further alleged that detainees were only allowed access to their phones after agreeing to pay money or contact relatives to send funds, adding that calls were allegedly monitored by the officers.
Progress accused the officers of operating what he described as a coordinated extortion scheme, alleging that some officers played “good cop” while others acted aggressively to pressure victims into making payments to avoid being taken to the police station.
He also claimed that while several detainees eventually paid money and were released, one individual who allegedly refused payment was driven away after 5 p.m., leaving his fate unknown.
The social media post attracted dozens of reactions from other users, many of whom shared similar experiences of alleged harassment and extortion by security operatives in Bayelsa State.
One commenter alleged that police officers in Yenagoa often operate in unmarked vehicles and profile young people based on their appearance or the cars they drive.
Another recounted being stopped during a routine search, saying officers demanded access to his phone before eventually releasing him after he convinced them he was a farmer.
Several contributors also renewed calls for the compulsory use of body cameras by police officers, arguing that such devices would improve accountability and discourage misconduct.
As of the time of filing this report, the Bayelsa State Police Command had not publicly responded to the allegations, and Tarakirivoice could not independently verify the claims made by Progress and other social media users.
The allegations come amid renewed public concerns over claims of unlawful arrests, profiling of young Nigerians, and extortion at police checkpoints across parts of the country. The Nigeria Police Force has repeatedly maintained that extortion and other forms of misconduct by its personnel are prohibited and has urged members of the public to report erring officers through official complaint channels.
