Police officers kidnapped me, my crew – Nigerian Actor cries out 

A Nigerian actor claims that police officers “abducted” and detained him along with two crew members in Imo State, located in the southeast of Nigeria.

The actor, known as Young C. Entertainment, shared details of the incident in a video that has been circulating online. He stated that the event occurred on Friday afternoon in Owerri while he was in the area for a film shoot, having travelled from Port Harcourt, Rivers State, with his crew.

According to him, one crew member had lost his mobile phone, and they were en route to an MTN office to retrieve a SIM card. However, they were stopped by operatives from the Anti-Narcotics and Drugs Unit of the State Criminal Investigation Department.

The actor mentioned that the officers demanded to search them and their vehicle. Upon discovering two bundles of “prop money,” they accused the group of possessing counterfeit currency. The actor clarified that the prop money, printed for film purposes, was not intended for fraudulent use.

In a 13-minute video, he elaborated that the money bore inscriptions stating it was exclusively for movie productions. He explained to the officers that the money was printed by a registered producer for the shoot.

The operatives allegedly coerced them to pay a bribe or face being taken to the station, where they would be forced to pay 1.5 million Naira. Despite their confusion about any wrongdoing, the officers took them to the station, forced them to sit on the floor for about two hours, and then locked them in the cell.

He stated that the operators left the station and went home after locking them up in the cell, where they remained without sustenance till the next day.

The actor said that the operatives took their phones and refused to let them call their relatives or attorneys.

He claimed he was protesting being held up in a cell with more than 20 violent offenders.

He said that one of the crew members, who suffered from asthma, almost died in the cell around midnight.

“A policeman told me that if he dies, they know what to do with him,” he said.

The actor gave the identities of some operators who he said committed the deed.

He said they were only freed after his lawyer arrived at the station, along with phone calls from unspecified powerful persons.

He claimed the operatives eventually asked them to pay N300,000 to be released.

However, they disputed and only handed the operatives N15,000, claiming it was the cost of an inhaler needed to resuscitate the asthmatic crew member.

The actor promised to bring a lawsuit against the agents who carried out the deed against him and his teammates.

Henry Okoye, Imo State’s police spokesperson, responded by saying that the state’s Commissioner of Police, Aboki Danjuma, has ordered an inquiry into the event.

Mr Okoye, an assistant superintendent of police, informed the operatives in a post on his X account on Tuesday that they would be sanctioned following the probe.

The commissioner of police assures the general public that any officer found culpable will face appropriate disciplinary actions by the Force’s regulations,” he said.

The spokesperson asked the victims to report the matter to IGP X-Squad in Owerri to assist in the investigation.

“The Imo State Police Command remains committed to upholding the rule of law and protecting the rights of the citizens,” he assured.