Family of a man, Isaac Alagbariya, has accused men of the Rivers State Police Command

of illegally arresting and torturing their son after breaking into his hotel room along Ada

George on the outskirts of Port Harcourt.

The family, at a news briefing in Port Harcourt, alleged that their son, Isaack Alagbariya,

was arrested by the police at the Osmosis Hotel along the Ada George axis of Obio/Akpor

Local Government Area of the state after they forced themselves into his room.

Isaac’s elder brother, Asime Alagbariya, described the torture and arrest as unlawful and

demanded his immediate and unconditional release. He also accused the police and the

hotel manager of carting away his brother’s personal belongings, even as he chided a first-

generation bank (names withheld) for illegally releasing his younger brother’s bank details

to the police without his consent.

However, newsmen’s investigation revealed that banks do not need to release any

customer’s BVN as anti-fraud and anti-money laundering agencies have access to every

Nigerian’s BVN. ATN also gathered that “apart from security agencies having access to

customer’s BVN, every financial institution in the country can also access any individual’s

BVN. It was further gathered that under extant financial regulations, “it is a criminal offence

for any financial institution not to cooperate with security agencies when the need arises.

When contacted, the spokesperson for the Rivers State Police Command, Grace Iringe-

Koko, told our correspondent that the state command has nothing to do with the alleged

arrest of the suspect. She said it was carried out by the Force’s Anti-Fraud Unit from Abuja,

adding, “It was the Anti-Fraud Unit from Abuja that carried out the operation. So, I will

advise that you contact the Force Public Relations Officer.”