Just In : Police Arrest Hotel Owner, Others For Exposing Extortion Of N310,000 By Operatives During Raid
A source who spoke to SaharaReporters said the police arrived at the hotel and asked the hotel owner to produce one of his guests who was a citizen journalist.
The Nigeria Police Force, Cross River State Command, has arrested one Mr. Sunday Bassey, the owner of Corner Stone Bush Bar Hotel located at Orida Road, Biase Local Government Area of the state for speaking to the media over the raid on his hotel by armed policemen on January 15, 2024, during which N310,000 was allegedly extorted.
Bassey was said to have been arrested on Tuesday morning alongside other guests in the hotels for daring to speak to newsmen and exposing them.
A source who spoke to SaharaReporters said the police arrived at the hotel and asked the hotel owner to produce one of his guests who was a citizen journalist.
He said the police were miffed at the way the guests were allowed to speak to journalists about what transpired during the operation.
“The police went to the hotel this morning and they arrested Mr. Bassey and some of the guests who lodged in the hotel,” the source said.
The arrest is coming barely 24hours after SaharaReporters published a story on Monday January 29,2004 on how the police stormed the hotel and arrested all the guests including the hotel owner.
One of the guests, who was also citizen journalist, Paul Ben Manasseh had also accused one of the police officers of trying to implicate him by dipping his hand in his pocket and bringing out an item believed to be “weed” during the encounter.
Many of the guests were injured during the operation.
The police spokesperson, Irene Ugbo when contacted for reaction initially told SaharaReporters that she was not aware of the incident, saying neither the police officers nor the victims reached out to her.
She therefore asked the victims to come to her office just as she promised to look in the matter.
