Rivers State Police Command operatives are concerned about the alleged extortion of over N100 million from a suspect arrested for cybercrime.
According to reports, the state police command arrested Mr. Atubi Davison in Port Harcourt based on information about alleged cybercrime and recovered over N100,000,000 from his ceiling. Most of the money was in dollars, with the remainder in naira.
It has been claimed that the suspect, Davidson, was one of the major contractors in the pipeline surveillance contract, and this revelation has caused panic and disagreement among the police hierarchy in the state.
Senior officers of the command, including the Assistant Commissioner of Police in Charge of the State Criminal Investigation Department and the Commissioner of Police in the state, have been holding meetings to address the situation.
A Rights Advocate named Israel Joe has petitioned the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, demanding a proper investigation into the alleged extortion of N80 million naira and a gold necklace worth N4 million from Davison by Assistant Commissioner of Police ACP Olayinka, 2ic State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (SCIID) Port Harcourt, and two other officers identified as Emmanuel and Uche.
Joe alleges that on September 14th, police officers raided Davison’s home in Peace Avenue Road, Egbelu, Obio/Akpor Local Government Area, and found over N100 million, which was meant for the payment of workers securing pipeline facilities in the Niger Delta. Davison is purportedly the Chairman of one of the units securing pipeline facilities in the pipeline surveillance contract.
During the raid, the police also seized two cars and a gold chain necklace valued at 4 million naira and arrested four individuals in Davison’s house, including a female.
In a further telephone chat, Mr. Joe narrated: “I met with the Assistant Commissioner(AC) State CIID and asked him what are you investigating the man for, the AC told me that it is an alleged kidnap case that he doesn’t know if somebody will come and report that his money is missing or it is ransom money. He said that all they need to do is to see how they can manage the situation that the money is about N100 million.
“He said a major part of the money is in dollars. I told the AC they should charge him (Davison) to court if the man committed any offense. When they saw that calls were coming from different angles, they called the father to say that they were going to release the two cars for him and any amount they released to him (Davison) he should manage, that they were going to send 30 million naira to the IGP, N16 Million to the CP.
“At the end of the day, they (Police) released the two cars, they released the Chevrolet and Toyota Camry car to him. They released only N12 million naira to him. They took away a whopping sum of over N80 million along with his gold chain valued at about N4 million, the two plasma Televisions, shoes, and clothes they carried from his house.
“The IPO even told us to leave Port Harcourt that criminals may come for us. That we should leave Rivers State. I know the CP called him (AC) and he confirmed that they took away almost N100 million from the man’s house. They released only N12 million for the man.
“We are calling for proper investigation the money they have collected should be returned. If the money they have collected from these boys is not returned, the surveillance workers will not be paid.”
However, the State Police Command had dismissed the claims as false, adding that the suspect was arrested on the grounds of cybercrime and ritualistic activities.
The Command in a statement by its spokesperson, Grace Iringe-Koko, noted that money huge sum of money was recovered from the home of Davidson and that he was arrested following his inability of defend the source of the cash.
He said: “The initial grounds for Mr. John’s arrest were rooted in allegations of involvement in cybercrime and ritualistic activities.
“Subsequent to a comprehensive search of his residence at No. 6 Peace Avenue, Ogbelu, Rivers State, Police Operatives discovered substantial sums of money in both domestic and foreign currencies concealed in his premises, notably atop the ceiling.
“Mr. John’s inability to provide a satisfactory account for the origin of this money led to his transfer to the SCID for further investigation.”
Iringe-Koko, a Superintendent of Police, said the police had released part of the confiscated money to the suspect to enable him to get health attention, adding that the suspect was sick.
PPRO said: “However, it came to light that the suspect had a urinary catheter in his stomach, necessitating a medical assessment.
“Upon consultation with a medical professional, it was determined that his health condition could not endure excessive stress, prompting a decision to release him into the custody of a reliable surety while investigations continued.
Mr. John’s father acted as his surety and requested financial assistance for his son’s medical needs. The Deputy Commissioner of Police granted a partial release of funds on compassionate grounds for the suspect’s healthcare, while the remaining amount was meticulously documented and entrusted to the exhibit keeper.
“Additionally, a gold necklace, reportedly obtained from an undisclosed woman, was also registered with the exhibit keeper.”
“The Rivers State Police Command emphatically reaffirms that the entirety of the money is securely registered and under the custody of the exhibit keeper, thus refuting any insinuations to the contrary made by the suspect, as it is vital to get proper understanding of the reason behind concealing such huge amount of money in cash in his house, as well as not being able to give full account of the monies.”
