Immigration Officers Extort N100k From Lagos Man, Tagged as Yahoo Boy

Badagry, Lagos – On Friday, November 29, 2024, an incident involving Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) officers unfolded along the Seme-Badagry highway, leaving a man, identified as Franklin, alleging brutal treatment and extortion. Franklin, who has resided in the Benin Republic for over seventeen years was reportedly returning to Nigeria when the officers stopped him and subjected him to a series of humiliating and unlawful actions.

Franklin recounted that the officers inspected his phone, finding no evidence of any wrongdoing. However, they continued to accuse him of fraud, claiming the issue was related to his wife’s phone number registered in the Benin Republic. Despite finding no incriminating evidence, the officers allegedly continued to berate him.

“They beat me and accused me of fraud with no evidence to justify their accusations,” Franklin said. “They took me to an unfinished building, threatened to shoot me, and forced me to transfer N100,000 under duress to an account linked to Apexze Global Concept Limited, Moniepoint Microfinance Bank.” The account, as Franklin disclosed, was registered under the name of Joy Yakubu, with the account number 6739461449.

Franklin, who cooperated fully with the officers during the encounter, said he was still treated like a criminal, despite his compliance. His account adds to the growing list of allegations against Nigerian Immigration Service officials, particularly at border areas such as Seme, known for instances of extortion and abuse of power.

Despite numerous claims of misconduct and exploitation of both Nigerian nationals and foreign travelers, the Nigerian Immigration Service has yet to release an official statement regarding this latest incident. The lack of a response from the agency has raised concerns about the persistence of corrupt practices at border posts, with many calling for urgent reforms to address the systemic abuse of power.