Several young Nigerians have accused operatives of a Joint Task Force (JTF) operating in Imo State of allegedly abducting, assaulting, and extorting them after stopping public and private vehicles, searching their mobile phones, and demanding access to their bank accounts.
SaharaReporters gathered from multiple victims and sources familiar with the operations of the security personnel that the alleged incidents occurred along the Aba-Owerri Expressway, particularly around the Ngor Okpala axis and other parts of Imo State.
The victims alleged that the operatives, who operate in mixed security uniforms and civilian clothing, often take youths away from the highway into bushes or abandoned structures before demanding money from them.
A source familiar with the operations told SaharaReporters that some of the operatives deliberately conceal their identities by wearing face masks and avoiding official name tags.
“They just wear Special Force tags on their uniforms, cover their faces without name tags so that they are not easily identified when they commit their atrocities,” the source said.
In one video obtained by SaharaReporters, a victim recorded an encounter with the alleged JTF personnel while he was being searched along the Aba-Owerri Expressway in the Ngor Okpala area.
The video showed the operatives accessing the victim’s mobile phone and discovering money in his bank account.
According to the victim, the officers demanded that he transfer money to them, claiming they needed it for fuel.
When he explained that he did not have money and would struggle to afford food at his destination, one of the officers responded, “But you have all this money.”
Another officer could also be heard in the background pressuring a different victim to transfer money from his account to them.
The second victim explained that the money belonged to his employer, who had sent him to purchase materials for their business, but the officers continued demanding the funds.
SaharaReporters also gathered from the victims that residents and travellers have accused the operatives of routinely stopping young people on roads and streets in parts of Imo State, searching their phones and extorting money from them.
In another video obtained by SaharaReporters, the JTF personnel were stationed around an abandoned filling station.
One of the officers was seen searching a young man’s bag. After finding nothing incriminating, the officer took the young man to a corner, where he demanded and collected an undisclosed amount of cash.
Student Alleges N500,000 Extortion
One of the most serious allegations came from a young student who said he was stopped while returning from Imo State University after sitting an examination.
According to him, several security personnel stopped the vehicle he was travelling in and ordered him and other passengers to come down.
“There were many, like there were many. There were up to 10 or more,” he said, adding that the personnel were dressed in different uniforms, with some wearing police and military-style uniforms.
The student said two officers ordered him and two other passengers to leave the vehicle and directed them towards a security vehicle parked beside a bush, where his bag was searched several times, but nothing incriminating was found.
“I explained to him, officer, I’m just coming back from where I went to take my exam,” he said.
However, the officer allegedly told him that being a student did not rule out criminal activity.
“He was like, calm down. Even though you went to take an exam, you can still be doing other things too,” the victim recounted.
He alleged that the officers subsequently searched his phone, including his WhatsApp messages and other applications, before demanding access to his bank account.
“They did not see anything bad in my WhatsApp. He went through my chat, my texts with people. He did not see anything,” he said.
The victim said the situation escalated after the officers demanded access to his bank accounts.
“I was like, officer, how? This is my bank account. This is where I keep my money. Why should I open my bank account for you?” he said.
He alleged that the officers threatened and intimidated him before accessing his bank account apps.
According to him, the officers initially checked his MoneyPoint account but found no money.
“They said I should open my OPay,” he said, adding that the officers used his phone’s facial recognition to access the account.
He said the officers saw a balance of approximately N1.8 million, and “started asking me how a small boy like me gets this kind of money”.
He alleged that the officers accused him of money laundering.
“I was trying to explain to them that this money was kept for my school stuff,” he said.
According to him, an officer allegedly struck him while ordering him to keep quiet, and the officers subsequently demanded half of the money.
“They said they were going to take 50% of the money. We were going to share it 50-50,” he alleged.
The student said he pleaded with the officers and offered N100,000, but they allegedly refused, alleging that the officers insisted on taking N900,000, representing half of his alleged N1.8 million balance.
“They started beating me. They hit my back with a stick,” he alleged, adding that he was handcuffed and threatened with being taken into an abandoned building in the bush.
The victim said the officers eventually demanded N600,000 but later agreed to N500,000.
“They were pressuring me, torturing me, threatening me. I did not have any other option,” he said, alleging that he eventually transferred N500,000 to them through a MoniePoint POS operator with a name Ngozi Nwalozie.
“I need justice. I want my money back because this thing is not proper,” the victim said. “This is not my money. This is not my personal money. I need my money back.”
Romania Returnee Allegedly Detained, Extorted
Another victim, who said he had returned to Nigeria from Romania, also recounted an encounter with the JTF operatives while travelling with his wife along the Ngor Okpala axis.
He said the officers stopped the public transport he was travelling in, ordered other passengers and the driver to leave, and allegedly detained him.
According to him, the operatives searched his phone and found photographs of him with foreign friends, and accused him of fraud because of his connections abroad and subsequently demanded money after discovering funds in his account.
The victim alleged that an officer also took possession of his Romanian residence permit and demanded N100,000 before he could get it back, adding that he eventually paid N50,000 after spending almost an hour pleading with the officer.
The victim alleged that people are afraid to publicly report such encounters because some of the operatives threaten victims and photograph their identification documents.
N400,000 Extorted From Lagos Traveller
Another victim, who identified himself as a Lagos-based young man, said he was travelling from Aba to Owerri when the JTF operatives stopped his vehicle.
He said the officers took him to their van, searched his phone, went through his chats and other applications and eventually demanded access to his bank accounts.
“I thought they were soldiers. The next thing I hear is, who are you?” he said. “They went through my phone, went through my chat. They didn’t see anything. Went through my crypto wallet.”
According to him, the operatives found about N800,000 in one of his accounts, and demanded N500,000 but later agreed to N400,000 after keeping him for almost two hours.
“I had to transfer the N400,000 to a POS operator with a name, Judith Ogochukwu Echebiri,” he said.
Alleged Kidnapping For N515,000 Ransom
SaharaReporters also obtained an account of another alleged incident involving a young man who was reportedly taken into a bush along the Ngor Okpala axis on July 26, 2026 by the JTF officers.
A source familiar with the incident alleged that the victim was taken hostage after being stopped on the road and was subsequently forced to pay N500,000, and POS charge of N15,000.
The source said the victim was beaten and harassed during the incident, alleging that the same operatives have continued to operate on the road despite complaints and videos of their operations in public view.
Calls For Probe, Dissolution
The allegations have triggered calls for an investigation into the composition, mandate and activities of the JTF personnel operating along the Aba-Owerri corridor.
Victims and activists are demanding that the security agencies identify the officers involved, investigate the alleged harassment and extortions, and prosecute anyone found culpable.
They also urged authorities to investigate the identities of personnel seen in the videos, arguing that the use of masks, lack of name tags and mixed uniforms makes accountability difficult.
For the victims who spoke out, however, the central question remains why young people travelling on public roads should allegedly be taken away, have their private financial information accessed and be forced to surrender money without being accused or convicted of any offence.
SaharaReporters’ efforts to obtain the reaction of the Imo State Police Command were unsuccessful at press time. The command’s Public Relations Officer, DSP Okoye Henry, did not answer calls made to his mobile phone.