By Abel Leonard, lafia

Four natives of Lafia, the capital of Nasarawa State, Muhammad Abubakar Muhammad Isa Isyaka and Mustapha Muhammad of Lafia Nasarawa State petitioned the Inspector General of Police, (IGP) Usman Alkali Baba for extortion unlawful, intimidation, threat to life and violation of the fundamental right of human dignity and privacy by Ephraim Ebito and other members of the Nigeria Police Intelligence Response Team.

In a letter from the lawyer sent to the Daily Sun on Friday through one of the natives Muhammed Isyaka in Lafia saying MI Danliti Esq of Maina (Sifawa) Law Chambers to the Inspector General of Police, the letter copied ( IGP) Force Headquarters, Louis Edet Maison Garki, Abuja. Via: Public Complaints Rapid Response Unit (PCRRU)

The letter also contains that, “The chamber acts as attorneys for Muhammad Abubakar (AKA Baba Apa) Muhammad Said (AKA Wa’a), Isa Isyaka and Mustapha Muhammad of Lafia Nasarawa State otherwise known as of ” our customers ” on whose behalf we write this compliant in the following terms: Recalled that we wrote a complaint sometime around September 6, 2021 which was received by your good offices on September 14, 2021.

“The content of the complaint focused on the flagrant abdication and abuse of power by the men of the Nigeria Police IRT Unit. A copy of said letter is attached as Exhibit A.”

The lawyer also said that a memoir reveals that sometime last year two of their clients were arrested and taken to Jere, Kaduna State by the IRT led by a Fadhason Ayuba and his men who , against reason and professional decorum, extorted the sum of N600,000.00 from the clients and further threatened to re-arrest the clients if they did not pay the outstanding balance of N400,000.00, which was the initial arrangement Fadhason had with the clients before their release.

The letter also states that it took the intervention of a quick response to complaints before the IRT team allowed their clients to have a break and this was done after a series of pleas from Fadhason with their office that their clients could have respite from the clumsy and uninterrupted threat of IRT members.

“Our brief further reveals that the IRT had used a Sabo Bala which they arrested last year for robbery to fish and extort millions of naira from our customers.”

“The said Sabo Bala was the same person who led the IRT to arrest and extort Isa Isyaka and Abubakar Sometimes around July 2021. It was the same Sabo Bala who took the IRT this time by an officer by the name of Ephraim Ebito and others who came to Lafia on June 21, 2022 and arrested Muhammad said he was blatantly tortured, tied up and also extorted a sum of one million thirty thousand only from himself. He added

“The allegation against Muhammad stated that he purchased a car which was stolen by the same Sabo Bala and that Muhammad Said should return the car or its value despite having no nominal plaintiff.”

Seeing that he cannot bear the torture by “Ephraim and his men, our client had to order his relatives to sell his property worth one million naira and hand it over to the officers.”

In the same vein, the said Ephraim and his fellow officers had tried to arrest Muhammad Abubakar but could not get him on their first attempt.

Having failed to arrest Baba Apa, Ephraim resorted to a guerrilla attack by breaking into our client’s home without a warrant and arresting his wife and one of his adopted sons, thereby raping and flaunting of his and his family’s right to privacy and detained them at Nigerian Police Lafia Division B, on the grounds that our clients must submit or else they will take his family to Abuja where their office is.

“It took the intervention of our clients’ clan elders before Ephraim Ebito released the wife and son. This was done after a commitment was made to produce Muhammad Abubakar (AKA Apa) on Monday June 27, 2022.”

“The relative being curious to know where Ephraim’s office is demanded to have the address of their officer to whom Ephraim gave his number (0805547036) that when coming to Apo our clients should contract it for the directions sir.”

“Sir, it’s not about that there has been a negative reaction to the relentless threat, torture and extortion of some of your officers, which has led to several calls for reform of the system of police in Nigeria.”

“Similarly, in an attempt to reposition the Nigerian Police in international best practice, your good offices have no doubt made several efforts to curb the excesses of the erratic officer, but the likes of Ephraim and Co are adamant to see your downfall and by all means that if no action is taken, the lives and property of ordinary Nigerians will continue to be at stake.”

“Imagine a police officer using a criminal to extort innocent citizens, when in fact he is now supposed to be in jail.”

“We are disconcerted by the way officers like Ephraim are still such an integral part of an organization that we have all come to love and cherish.”

“It is regrettable that Ephraim and his fellow men, whom we believe have families they always cherish and protect, will egregiously breach the sanctity of the privacy of our client’s family. We are also concerned that IRT men have a habit of extorting innocent citizens without justification.

“We also believe that it is not the duty of the Nigerian police to collect money for or on behalf of anyone. It has received judicial blessing in several cases which space could not permit us to mention.

“The petition urges the IGP that Ephraim and his colleagues be taken to court and that the money extorted by them be reimbursed to our client.”

“We believe in your ability to get the most out of your organization and we humbly ask that justice not be done but seen, as we await your prompt response, please accept our professional greetings.”