POLICE INSPECTOR ALLEGES DETENTION FOR NEGOTIATING RANSOM FOR KIDNAPPED SISTER

A serving Nigerian police inspector, Ohia Ifeanyi, has accused senior officers of victimisation and alleged police misconduct, claiming he was arrested and detained over the kidnapping of his own sister despite helping the family negotiate with her abductors.

The allegation was made in a recorded interview with popular social media user English Alhaji, during which he appealed to President Bola Tinubu and the Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, to establish a platform where junior officers could report grievances without fear of retaliation.

THE ORDEAL

Ifeanyi said his ordeal began after his sister was kidnapped while he was recovering from a shoulder injury sustained during an arm-wrestling competition.

He received a call from his sister’s son informing him that she had been abducted. One of his brothers pleaded with him to do everything possible to ensure their sister was not harmed.

He agreed to help with the negotiations and recorded his conversations with the people involved to preserve evidence.

He alleged that the kidnappers initially demanded N150 million, but the ransom was eventually reduced to N3 million.

“From N150 million, we started with the kidnapper to N3 million. The children now brought the money. The day the children brought the money, we had to start to negotiate, go to where the kidnapper asked us to come,” he said.

THE ARREST

However, as the family prepared to meet the kidnappers, a team of police officers from Zone 9 arrived and arrested him without informing his office or notifying his wife and children.

“A team of police from Zone 9 came and arrested me. No signal. They didn’t inform my office. My wife was not aware. My children were not aware. They took me away,” he said.

He said he questioned why he was being detained after his brother had allegedly asked him to help negotiate with the kidnappers.

“Why are you arresting me? Why do you want to arrest me again? You are the one that sent me. Look at your voice notes. I have it here,” he said he told his brother.

He further alleged that his brother subsequently claimed not to recognise the telephone number he had used for more than 10 years.

“The number I have used for over 10 years is unknown to him,” Ifeanyi said.

THE AFTERMATH

Ifeanyi said he was eventually released after an investigation, which he claimed established that he was innocent of the kidnapping allegation.

“Investigation have been concluded. I’m innocent. It was a mere allegation,” he said.

However, he alleged that his ordeal continued after his release, as accusations against him persisted despite the investigation.

Members of his family had circulated voice messages accusing him of being responsible for his sister’s abduction and threatening to destroy his reputation.

“I lost my mind. The first frustration. Then after that, investigation proved me innocent,” he said.

THE CALL FOR A COMPLAINTS PLATFORM

Ifeanyi appealed to the Inspector-General of Police to establish a platform where junior officers can report grievances without fear of retaliation.

“The complaint, the complaint, the platform I have is nothing because I have been calling the platform. The platform is not going,” he said.

“Please, the Inspector-General of Police, our father should give us a platform where our voice will be heard because many have decided to die without minding the consequences”.

THE RISKS

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Ifeanyi said he was prepared to face dismissal, demotion or confinement in the barracks for speaking publicly about what he described as misconduct within the Nigeria Police Force.

“I know that the commanders, the senior officers, they will not be happy with me because I’m trying to expose the hidden truth,” he said.

When asked whether he understood the possible consequences, Ifeanyi replied that he was fully aware of the risks.

“Dismissal. Reduction in rank. Confinement in barracks,” he said. “I’ve made up my mind. I’ve asked my wife for apology if I leave the job even though I die because I know that the commander, the senior officers, they will not be happy with me because I’m trying to expose the hidden truth”.

WHY IT MATTERS

Ifeanyi’s allegations, if true, paint a damning picture of a police force that punishes its own officers for trying to help their families.

The inspector’s case also raises broader questions about the welfare of junior officers, the effectiveness of the Police Complaints Response Unit, and the culture of impunity within the Force.

He said he has four children and described the financial hardship of supporting a family on a police salary.

“My brother, the current situation of Nigeria now, to get one cup of rice is very difficult,” he said.

ValidViewNetwork reports that the Nigeria Police Force has not responded to Ifeanyi’s allegations.