The police in Cross River State said they have disciplined officers who conducted and leaked an “unauthorised video interview” of a suspected cultist arrested after a viral video showed him firing gunshots from a moving vehicle in Calabar.
The command, however, said the masked men seen inside the vehicle with the suspected cultist during the shooting incident have neither been identified nor arrested.
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The police spokesperson in the state, Sunday Eitokpah, disclosed this in a statement shared on Sunday, following public concerns over the viral video.
Mr Eitokpah later clarified to PREMIUM TIMES that the masked men seen wearing what appeared to be police uniforms in the vehicle in that viral video, in the company of the alleged cultist, are “yet to be identified or arrested.”
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“It’s the officers who did an unauthorised video interview and leaked the video to the public who were disciplined,” he said.
Viral video sparks concerns
The viral video shows a young man pulling down the windscreen of a Toyota Land Cruiser and firing gunshots into the air as the vehicle moves through a street in Calabar.
Some men inside the vehicle were dressed in what appeared to be police camouflage, while youths dressed in white shirts and trousers, with their faces masked, were seen trailing the vehicle.
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People could also be heard chanting “Vikings” as the vehicle moved through the street.
The procession disrupted traffic, with vehicles painted in Cross River’s blue-and-white colours seen giving way to the convoy.
The video was shared on Facebook by Nsemo Offiong, who attributed it to the “Naija Confra” platform.
The accompanying post identified the shooter as the alleged “Vikings number one man” at the Cross River University of Science and Technology.
The suspected cultist later told police during an interrogation that he participated in a carnival float to mark his sign-out from the university and hand over to another person.
The police had earlier arrested the 24-year-old suspect, who admitted being the person seen in the video firing the shots. The command also launched a manhunt for other people allegedly connected with the incident.
Police investigate masked men
The incident generated public concerns after a Facebook user, identified as “Portrait Peterson”, questioned the presence of the men allegedly dressed in police uniform inside the vehicle.
Mr Peterson questioned the whereabouts of the alleged police escorts and called on the command to identify and discipline them.
The police said it was investigating the identities and roles of the two masked men.
“The suspect has not identified them,” the command said, adding that it was independently investigating whether they were police officers and, if so, their identities, roles and the circumstances surrounding their presence.
Mr Eitokpah told PREMIUM TIMES that the investigation about the masked men was still ongoing.
Officers disciplined over unauthorised interview
Mr Eitokpah said the officers who participated in the unauthorised video interview of the suspected cultist had been identified and disciplined in accordance with established police procedures.
When PREMIUM TIMES asked Mr Eitokpah about the disciplinary measures taken against the officers, he declined to provide details.
“It’s unauthorised and a breach of the standard of operations of the NPF,” he said.
“That’s all for now. It’s an internal disciplinary matter,” he added.
The command said it would not shield personnel who act improperly or compromise investigations against suspected offenders.
READ ALSO: Police intercept vehicle carrying suspected drugs, military camouflage
Suspect remains in custody
During the unauthorised interview, the suspected cultist was seen holding a calabash which he said contained “juju” prepared for his protection by an unamed person in his village.
He also told the officers that he did not have a licence to possess a firearm and claimed that the men sitting beside him in the vehicle knew he was shooting but did not disarm him.
He said he rented the vehicle for N150,000 per day.
The police said the suspect remains in custody and will be prosecuted if the investigation establishes a prima facie case against him.
The command urged anyone with credible evidence that could help identify the masked men or other persons allegedly connected with the incident to submit it to investigators.
It also reaffirmed its commitment to combating cultism and violent crime in Cross River State and said anyone found culpable would face the law, regardless of status or affiliation.
Editor’s note: A previous version of this report has been edited to remove some errors.
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