Alleged Extortion: Uvwie LG task force arrested, molested woman, forced her to transfer N300,000 to POS — Activist Israel Joe vows to recover money

A Warri based human rights activist, Comrade Israel Joe has said the Uvwie Local Government Council's Task force traffic enforcement allegedly apprehended, molested a lady(name withheld) and forced her to transfer the sum of three hundred thousand naira(N300,00) from her personal bank account to a POS along the PTI Junction enroute Ebrumede two days ago. 

Joe in a statement this morning condemned the action of the task force officers in the alleged criminal act saying,"They have become more criminal than armed robbers."

"Some persons apprehended a lady two days ago, along Ebrumede roundabout, molested her and forced her to transfer the sum of 300k to a POS" Joe said. 

Joe viewed that officers of the task force who are involved in the criminal act must refund the money to the victim. 

According to him,"Yesterday, the Senior Special Adviser,SSA on Special Duty to the Governor,Ossai Ovie Success called me and appealed that we help the lady recover her money as she is a wife to his friend. 

"He then called the lady, and on a three-way conference call, we had discussions and descriptions of the persons involved in the act, and I had promised to act and recover the money. 

"The authorities have also been informed so that such persons could face disciplinary measures to send a strong signal that injustice and oppression would never be tolerated irrespective of the institution involved."

Joe also said,"The Uvwie Local Government Chairman should be aware that these actions lay dents on the city, especially for first-timers who may have fallen prey to the hands of some of these legally constituted Criminals acting as task-force and if these Criminal actions continue, we may now call for the ban of these people now constituting nuisance at different points of the town especially at Link road junction (Delta Careers) Airport Road."

He insisted that,"Every act of suppression and oppression of Nigerians would be met with civil resistance, and they must refund the said monies as we have also made a complaint at the Ebrumede police station. Extortion by different institutions has become the order of the day."

In the same vein, the task force officers on Thursday January 29 attacked and threatened to kill a Warri based Journalist&Lawyer, Comrade Akpokona Omafuaire Esq for stopping over to enquire why they wrongfully stopped an Uvwie Palace Chief, Omafume Amurun by Edewor Shopping plaza near Water Resources. They hit his toyota car with dangerous instruments even when the Chief identified himself to them.

Efforts to speak with the Uvwie Council Chairman,Hon. Anthony Ofoni were unsuccessful.