Elochukwu Benjamin
Awka
Fresh allegations of extortion, harassment and intimidation have emerged against members of a Joint Task Force (JTF) comprising security operatives from various agencies, stationed along the Ngor-Okpala axis of the Owerri-Port Harcourt Road in Imo State, with multiple travellers accusing officers of targeting young men, conducting invasive searches and extorting money before allowing them to continue their journeys.
The allegations, shared by victims and witnesses on X (formerly Twitter), describe a pattern of operations in which male passengers are allegedly separated from other travellers, taken into nearby bushes for searches and, in some cases, coerced into paying money despite no incriminating items being found.
One anonymous female traveller, whose video has gone viral on X (formerly Twitter) recounted two separate encounters on the route.
According to her, she was returning from Owerri to Port Harcourt after writing an examination when security operatives stopped the commercial vehicle she was travelling in at the Ngor-Okpala area.
She said all passengers were ordered to disembark before the male passengers were taken into a nearby bush for searches, while the women remained beside the vehicle.
The woman said officers searched her phone but returned it after discovering she was a shoemaker with photographs of footwear samples on her device.
She alleged that another female passenger carrying an iPhone was questioned about why she owned the device and had her handbag thoroughly searched by two male officers, who emptied its contents, including personal belongings and cosmetics.
According to her, the male passengers had their bags, clothes and personal effects searched inside the bush before they were eventually allowed to continue after nothing incriminating was found.
She said the commercial driver informed passengers that such searches had become routine for vehicles passing through the Ngor-Okpala checkpoint.
The same witness narrated another incident on the route involving two young men travelling in the same vehicle.
She said the driver warned passengers beforehand that officers frequently targeted young men, especially those who appeared well dressed.
“Both men were taken into the bush while the women remained by the roadside. One of them returned shortly afterwards, but the second was detained for almost an hour.
“After searching the man’s phone without finding any incriminating material, the officers checked the phone’s trash folder and discovered deleted screenshots and receipts relating to online trading.
“The operatives allegedly accused him of internet fraud, dismissed his explanation that the phone belonged to a friend and that the deleted files were not his, and demanded money before releasing him.
“The young man eventually paid ₦30,000 before he was allowed to leave,” the witness alleged.
She further claimed the driver told passengers such incidents were common, alleging that officers sometimes demanded a share of money found in travellers’ bank accounts or threatened to take them to their office if they refused.
The woman also alleged that her boyfriend had experienced two similar encounters on the same route, adding that many travellers had become fearful whenever approaching the checkpoint because young men were frequently singled out for searches and demands for “settlement.”
Similar allegations were made by a Nigerian man who recently returned from abroad in another video shared by X account user, Somtoo Okonkwo.
The traveller alleged that while travelling from Akokwa to Owerri, he was stopped by a Joint Task Force comprising soldiers and police officers.
According to him, officers searched him and his luggage but found nothing suspicious except foreign currency he had brought into the country for personal expenses during his stay.
He claimed the operatives demanded ₦2 million before they would release him after seeing the foreign currency.
When he questioned the basis for the demand, he alleged the officers threatened him and began recording videos of him holding the money, portraying him as a criminal.
He further alleged that after detaining him, the officers took all the cash in his possession, including the foreign currency, forcing him to abandon the money out of fear for his safety.
In another account, an X user identified as Stephen Nnaemeka alleged that he was abducted, harassed and extorted by the same Joint Task Force on July 26, 2026, while travelling to the Imo State University (IMSU) for his post-UTME examination.
According to Nnaemeka, security operatives searched his bank application after seeing ₦1.8 million in his account and accused him of money laundering.
He said the funds had been earmarked for his admission-related expenses.
Nnaemeka alleged that he was handcuffed and threatened before officers compelled him to part with ₦515,000 through a Point-of-Sale (PoS) operator.
The allegations have generated widespread concern on social media, with many users calling for an investigation into the activities of security personnel operating along the Ngor-Okpala corridor.
Some of the videos of the allegations and complaints have also been collated and shared on X by the Imo State Police Command, and in response, said the Commissioner of Police, Imo State Command, CP Audu Garba Bosso, has directed the Command’s X-Squad and Complaint Response Unit (CRU) to investigate the allegations against the Joint Task Force, which comprises personnel from multiple security agencies.
The Police Command urged members of the public with complaints or relevant information to visit the Command Headquarters or contact the Complaint Response Unit through 08148047555 or +234 803 342 4051.
The Command assured the public that any officer found culpable after investigation would face appropriate disciplinary action.
