The four bloggers and members of the Online Media Practitioners Association of Nigeria OMPAN who were arrested in Owerri by operatives of members of the Police Special Anti-robbery Squad, SARS in Owerri, has finally spoken out, after being forced to pay for their release.
They wrote:
At about 10:30am on Sunday, on our way to the park to board a vehicle going to our different destinations, we were accosted by men of Special Anti-Robbery Squad. After checking our papers and every other documents, we were asked to follow them to their station (State CID) opposite IMO State Government house.
On getting there, we all alighted from the vehicle and a thorough search was made on us and on the vehicle which nothing incriminating were found on us nor inside the vehicle.
So, we asked for our released and one Inspector Uche (08033882196) , who happens to be the leader of the gang insisted on giving them money, probably after having a feeling that we were all in a hurry to go back to our family after a stressful and successful national convention of Online Media Practitioners Association of Nigeria OMPAN in Owerri.
Inspector Uche, taking money from the bloggers
We pleaded with them to let us go as we are law abiding citizens of federal republic of Nigeria but all our plea turned into a deaf ear as the inspector refused to listen to us.
He threatened to put us in jail and indict us with a criminal offense if we don’t give them money. We were advised to make use of the ATM, which I was made to stay back at the station as a collateral while my colleagues go to the ATM to make withdrawals.
They left for the ATM and came back with some cash which was handed to the officers in the attached pictures above.
Arrested members are Juachi Ochu, (www.profjay.com), Matthew Okache (www.voplink.com) and Williams George (www.touristtv.com) and Trinity Jesam (detailing cross river.com)
