The police in Delta State, Nigeria’s South-south, said they have taken a police officer into their custody for shooting at a vehicle.
In a viral video clip seen by PREMIUM TIMES on Wednesday, the officer was seen firing at the vehicle’s tyre in the middle of a busy road, causing panic among passersby.
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The incident reportedly occurred on Tuesday, 21 October, along Okpanam Road near Toscana Hotel in Asaba, the Delta State capital.
Reacting to the clip, the police spokesperson in the state, Bright Edafe, said the police were aware of the viral video.
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In the Wednesday statement, Mr Edafe, a superintendent of police, said that after a careful examination of the video clip, it was clear that the police operative acted unprofessionally.
He said the police in the state condemned his act as no police personnel has the right to use his firearm without recourse to Force Order 237.
“It is the duty of every Nigerian Police officer to protect lives and property and not to put the life of anybody in danger,” Mr Edafe said.
The police spokesperson said the erring officer has been identified, summoned, and detained at the police headquarters in Delta State.
He said the Commissioner of Police in the state, Olufemi Abaniwonda, has directed that internal disciplinary action be initiated against the operative immediately.
The police chief said the officer has been taken into custody, questioned, and an investigation has commenced.
Mr Abaniwonda explained that, although the police operative responded to a case of a hit-and-run accident, no police personnel are allowed to use their firearm without justification, as stipulated in Force Order 237.
He assured members of the public that the operative would be dealt with according to the extant laws stipulated in the Police Act and regulations, which would serve as a deterrent to others.
The police commissioner emphasised that protecting life and property remains the priority of the police in Delta State.
Cases of police brutality and other unprofessional activities in Nigeria have continued despite sanctions by police authorities.
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Police authorities in Abia State dismissed three officers for allegedly engaging in abduction and extortion in Nigeria in February this year.
In October 2024, police in Ebonyi conducted an orderly room trial for officers filmed extorting motorists in the state.
Within the same period, the police in Imo State conducted an orderly room trial for four officers seen in a viral video clip extorting motorists in the state.
