A Nigerian man has cried out after his terrifying encounter with men he identified as police officers in Benin, Edo State.
In a viral video, he narrated how he was picked up around 8pm while returning from work on public transport. According to him, the officers stopped him, checked his phone, and upon seeing a photo of his American wife, they immediately profiled him as “rich” and demanded money.
He alleged that they handcuffed him, beat him mercilessly, and forced him into their vehicle, insisting he must transfer ₦1m or risk being killed.
The man said he was held hostage from 8pm till 1am, during which the policemen also stopped other cars, extorted people, and even collected ₦500,000 from another victim driving a GLE.
“They took my phone, my power bank, my charger, everything I had on me. My wife was at home crying, not knowing what had happened. These men are supposed to protect us, but they are kidnappers in uniform,” he said tearfully.
He further revealed that the officers, who had no name tags or identification, eventually dumped him by the roadside at 1am after realising they couldn’t get the huge sum they demanded.
“This is the second time this has happened to me,” he added, calling on Nigerians to share his story so authorities can investigate what he described as a criminal squad parading as police officers.
