A Nigerian man has taken to social media to demand justice after he was allegedly harassed, arrested, and extorted by police officers in Calabar, Cross River State.
In a post shared via his X (formerly Twitter) account, the man detailed how officers from the anti-cultism unit confronted him just a few steps from his home, searched both his phone and apartment without a warrant, and eventually forced him to pay ₦222,000 for his release after initially demanding ₦1 million.
“Calabar anti-cultist (police) extorted me of ₦222k,” he wrote. “They searched my phone and also searched my house without a warrant or anything. They literally took me to zero. Help me tag your favorite blogs in the comments section and also @thatverydarkman, @PoliceNG, and @CRU_crossrivers. The branch is Satellite Town, Calabar.”
Narrating the ordeal, he said he had just taken his evening bath and was heading out to buy food around 8 p.m. when he was accosted by the officers.
“Just 20 steps from my door, I saw anti-cultist officers running towards me. One grabbed my phone and said, ‘he’s one of them.’ I tried to explain that I lived there and was just getting food. But before I knew it, he pointed the phone at my face to unlock it using Face ID.”
He said the officers, numbering between 7 and 10, began going through his phone without his consent, checking apps such as Telegram, WhatsApp, Email, Facebook, Photos, and Notifications.
One officer allegedly became suspicious after seeing a notification from @BitgetAfrica regarding Ethereum.
When asked about it, he explained he worked in Web3 and was paid through crypto for his services.
“Thank God he didn’t open my Bybit,” he added.
The officers allegedly forced him to write a statement at the station — a statement he claimed he didn’t write of his own free will.
“He dictated everything I wrote,” he said.
While going through his WhatsApp messages, they reportedly found a group called “Odugwu Social” and accused him of cybercrime. He explained he only bought X (Twitter) accounts from the group.
They also accessed his Telegram, saw messages containing wallet addresses, and accused him of operating a scam ring. He explained the wallets belonged to workers he intended to pay.
Despite finding no incriminating evidence, the officers allegedly proceeded to search his home and later accused him of impersonation after discovering an old Facebook account he used for work.
“In June last year, I was working on a project that required finding people with Google Console accounts to help us post apps on the Play Store. I was advised to use a more professional profile because people hesitate to work with Nigerians due to our online reputation.”
“So, I used the name ‘James Frank’ and a tech-themed photo I downloaded from Chrome. That’s all. But they accused me of impersonation and didn’t let me explain.”
He claimed he was slapped at the station and mocked by officers who even joked about shooting him.
“I had no choice but to comply. They asked for ₦1 million but I ended up paying ₦222k. I had to call my mom to send me ₦40k. They drove me from Satellite Town to Eta Agbor behind Zenith Bank, which is like a ₦300 journey, just to collect the money through a POS operator.”
He added that he was forced to delete photos of the written statement he took, but he managed to recover them via iCloud.
“Please help us living in Calabar. The police are harassing youths and nobody is talking,” he pleaded.
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