The Rivers State police command has dismissed an officer and suspended two others over an extortion allegation of N30 million from a resident.
The Command listed the names of the dismissed officer as Michael Odey, an inspector, and two suspended officers, Doubara Edonyabor and Talent Mungo.
The Rivers State Police Public Relations Officer, Grace Iringe-Koko, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday, March 10.
Iringe-Koko said both officers have been officially suspended following approval from the Police Service Commission (PSC).
She said Odey was found guilty and subsequently dismissed from duty, effective February 7, 2024, following thorough, orderly room proceedings and a comprehensive review conducted by the Assistant Inspector General of Police, Zone 16.
“Furthermore, during the aforementioned briefing, we provided information regarding the ongoing reviews of ASP Doubara Edonyabo and ASP Talent Mungo, as their respective ranks required approval from the Inspector General of Police and the Police Service Commission.
“Today, we hereby inform the public that the Police Service Commission has officially authorised the suspension from duty of ASP Doubara Edonyabo and ASP Talent Mungo, effective from 29/02/2024,” the statement reads.
She said that the salaries of the implicated officers have been stopped, and the two officers will face the Force Disciplinary Committee (FDC), which is responsible for addressing disciplinary issues involving senior officers. She promised to give an update on other cases involving the affected officers.
The extortion came to light on January 19 when human rights activist Harrison Gwamnishu said in a post on X that the officers had arrested a man, demanded $3,000 from him and then “dumped” him in Port Harcourt.
The Rivers State Police Command responded to the post shortly after, stating that the affected policemen had been identified.
