Four Police officers arrested for extorting N20m from ‘Yahoo Boys’ in Yenagoa

The Nigerian Police Force, Zone 16 Command, says it has arrested four Policemen over their involvement in the abduction and extortion of N20 million from two alleged internet fraudsters popularly known as “Yahoo Yahoo Boys” in Bayelsa State.

It was gathered that the arrested Police personnel were said to have confessed to the fact that two civilian accomplices, one Eyi Matthew Excel and Mayor Goodluck Arab gave them the information that some internet fraudsters had successfully scammed a foreigner of the sum of $58,000.

Based on the rip-off, the accused policemen stormed the residence of the alleged fraudsters, who are indigenes of Bayelsa State but relocated to Nigeria from Ghana where they pulled off the scam, got them arrested and blindfolded to an unknown hotel in Azikoro town, Yenagoa City.

NIGERIAN TRIBUNE further learnt that they threatened to kill the fraudsters with the claim that someone from Ghana accused them of theft.

According to an impeccable source, “They threatened to kill them if they didn’t part with N50 Million. The boys later succumbed and agreed to part with N20 million. They took them to two separate banks where they transferred N7 million and N13 million to the policemen.”

It was later gathered that a friend of the victims who learnt about their ordeal decided to report to the Nigerian Police headquarters through their mobile number advertised in the media which drew the attention of top police officers to the case.

Preliminary investigations, however, revealed that the AIG of zone 16, Benjamin Okolo was reported to have ordered the arrest of the accused persons because their actions were carried out without the approval of their superior officers.

“They were not members of a team. They work at various units but do shady deals together. In the past, they were nearly killed by some Military officers along Agbura road in Ogbia Local Government Area where they mounted an illegal roadblock to extort money from crude oil bunkers,” a source said.

It is learnt that the accused police personnel have returned the N2.5 million they each made from the said deal, while Eyi Matthew Excel is reported to have returned his share of the deal but is still at large.

When contacted, the Zonal 16 Police Public Relations Officer, SP Ikwo Kelvin, confirmed the incident and said that the said police officers are in police custody and investigation into the matter is ongoing.