Shocking revelations have emerged from Aba in Abia State, where numerous residents claim they were unlawfully arrested, detained, and extorted by operatives of the Rapid Response Squad (RRS), Aba North. A detailed account from Emeka Johnson, one of the victims, reveals disturbing patterns of police misconduct, including beatings, denial of basic rights, and extortion of large sums of money.
According to Johnson, he was picked up randomly and accused of recording illegal police activities. He was detained without access to a lawyer or contact with his family. “They arrested me for allegedly videoing their operations—where they stop people on bikes and passersby, seize their phones, and demand ₦50,000. If you refuse, they take you to the station and demand ₦300,000 or more,” he said.
He described how the RRS Aba North operatives operate with impunity, claiming to report directly to the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), and asserting that even the Commissioner of Police in Abia State cannot question their actions.
“I was beaten for refusing to unlock my phone. Officer Dan, the 2YC leading the team, personally assaulted me in his office,” Johnson said. “He told me to contact human rights groups if I wanted, but nothing would come of it. He said ‘Aba is not Lagos’ and threatened to kill me. He also said no one would know where I was. He kept me in a cell for five hours until my family began searching and witnesses who saw the RRS arrest me came forward.”
He added that he was denied water, phone calls, and legal counsel during his detention at the RRS station inside the Aba North Local Government Secretariat. Officer Dan also threatened that by Tuesday, he would obtain a court order to access Johnson’s phone and delete the incriminating video, even though Johnson had not been officially profiled or asked to make a statement.
Johnson further reported that over 35 youths were being similarly detained at the RRS station. Some had been held for weeks or months without trial or contact with their families. He fears that some of the missing persons in Abia State may be among those secretly detained by the RRS, whose operatives reportedly go by nicknames like “Action,” “Snakes,” and “Killer,” making public accountability nearly impossible.
Victims in the cell told him they were forced to pay anywhere from ₦30,000 to ₦1.5 million to be released, under threats of being falsely labeled as internet fraudsters (“Yahoo boys”).
“This is a full-blown business for them. They pick you up, search your phone, and demand millions. They say nothing will happen because they report directly to the IG,” Johnson said.
He added that detainees are denied contact with the outside world until they agree on a fee. Only then are they allowed to call someone to bring an ATM card and make the payment via the officers’ personal POS machines.
Many detainees are reportedly in poor health and in need of urgent medical attention, while their families remain unaware of their whereabouts.
These allegations highlight serious human rights abuses and raise urgent concerns about accountability within the Nigerian Police Force, particularly regarding the activities of the RRS Aba North.
Human rights organizations and legal advocacy groups are calling for an immediate and thorough investigation into the operations of the RRS team in Abia State, as well as intervention by national and international watchdogs.
