Fresh allegations of extortion, harassment and intimidation have surfaced against members of a Joint Task Force (JTF) operating along the Ngor-Okpala section of the Owerri–Port Harcourt Road in Imo State, with several travellers accusing security personnel of routinely targeting young men, conducting intrusive searches and demanding money before allowing them to continue their journeys.
The allegations, shared by victims and witnesses on X (formerly Twitter), paint a picture of a recurring pattern in which male passengers are allegedly separated from other travellers, taken into nearby bushes for searches and, in some cases, forced to pay money despite no incriminating items being found.
One female traveller, who spoke anonymously in a video that has since gone viral on X, recounted two separate encounters at the checkpoint.
She said she was travelling from Owerri to Port Harcourt after sitting for an examination when the commercial vehicle she boarded was stopped by security operatives in the Ngor-Okpala area.
According to her, all passengers were ordered out of the vehicle, after which the male passengers were taken into a nearby bush for searches while the women remained beside the road.
She alleged that officers searched her mobile phone but returned it after discovering she was a shoemaker with photographs of footwear samples stored on the device.
The woman further claimed another female passenger carrying an iPhone was questioned about why she owned the device before two male officers allegedly emptied and searched her handbag, including her personal belongings and cosmetics.
She said the male passengers had their bags, clothing and personal effects thoroughly searched in the bush before they were eventually released after nothing incriminating was found.
According to her, the commercial driver informed passengers that such operations had become a routine experience for motorists travelling through the Ngor-Okpala checkpoint.
The witness also narrated another incident involving two young men travelling in the same vehicle.
She said the driver had warned passengers before reaching the checkpoint that security operatives frequently singled out young men, particularly those who appeared well dressed.
According to her, both men were taken into the bush while the women remained by the roadside. One returned shortly afterwards, but the second was reportedly detained for nearly an hour.
She alleged that after searching the man’s phone without finding incriminating material, the officers examined the device’s trash folder and found deleted screenshots and receipts related to online trading.
The operatives allegedly accused him of internet fraud, rejected his explanation that the phone belonged to a friend and that the deleted files were not his, and demanded money before releasing him.
“The young man eventually paid ₦30,000 before he was allowed to leave,” she alleged.
She further claimed the commercial driver told passengers that such incidents were common, alleging that officers sometimes demanded a share of money found in travellers’ bank accounts or threatened to take them to their office if they refused.
The woman also alleged that her boyfriend had experienced two similar encounters at the same checkpoint, adding that many travellers had become fearful whenever approaching the area because young men were frequently singled out for searches and demands for what officers allegedly referred to as “settlement.”
Similar claims were made by a Nigerian man who recently returned from abroad in another video shared on X by user Somtoo Okonkwo.
The traveller alleged that while travelling from Akokwa to Owerri, a Joint Task Force made up of soldiers and police officers stopped him and searched both him and his luggage.
According to him, the operatives found no suspicious items apart from foreign currency he had brought into the country for his personal expenses. He claimed the officers demanded ₦2 million after discovering the money.
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When he questioned the basis for the demand, he alleged the operatives threatened him and began recording videos of him holding the foreign currency in an attempt to portray him as a criminal.
He further alleged that after detaining him, the officers confiscated all the cash in his possession, including the foreign currency, leaving him with no option but to abandon the money out of fear for his safety.
In another account, an X user identified as Stephen Nnaemeka alleged that he was abducted, harassed and extorted by the same Joint Task Force on July 26, 2026, while travelling to the Imo State University (IMSU) to sit for his post-UTME examination.
Nnaemeka claimed that after security operatives saw ₦1.8 million in his bank application during a search, they accused him of money laundering, despite his explanation that the funds were meant for admission-related expenses.
He alleged that he was handcuffed, threatened and eventually compelled to part with ₦515,000 through a Point-of-Sale (PoS) operator before he was released.
The allegations have sparked widespread concern on social media, with many users calling for an independent investigation into the activities of security personnel operating along the Ngor-Okpala corridor.
Reacting to the complaints, the Imo State Police Command said the Commissioner of Police, CP Audu Garba Bosso, had directed the Command’s X-Squad and Complaint Response Unit (CRU) to investigate the allegations against the Joint Task Force, which comprises personnel drawn from multiple security agencies.
The Command urged members of the public with relevant information or complaints to visit the Police Command Headquarters or contact the Complaint Response Unit through 08148047555 or +234 803 342 4051.
It assured residents that any officer found culpable after the investigation would face appropriate disciplinary action.
This version is tightened for readability, avoids repetition, and consistently attributes all accusations as allegations while maintaining a professional news tone.
