The police in Imo State, south-east Nigeria, say they sanctioned three operatives filmed assaulting a man in the state.
The police spokesperson in the state, Henry Okoye, announced this in a statement on Wednesday.
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The video clip
A video clip which surfaced recently on social media showed some officers assaulting a man along the Owerri-Aba Road in Imo State.
In the clip, seen by PREMIUM TIMES, two police officers were seen violently hitting and smacking a man along the road with their rifles.
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The victim appeared to be a motorist flagged down by the officers who constantly pulled his dress during the assault.
Sanctions
Mr Okoye, a deputy superintendent of police, said the state police command has identified the officers involved in the assault.
The spokesperson gave the names of the officers as Ofem Obongha and Obinna Okereke, both inspectors.
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The third officer was Anayo Ekezie, a sergeant.
Mr Okoye said the three officers were all from the Safer Highway Unit of the state police command.
The police spokesperson said after a review of the video clip, the command conducted an orderly room trial of the officers in line with the disciplinary procedures of the Nigeria Police Force.
“Sergeant Anayo Ekezie was found guilty of using his issued smoke gunner in the assault and has been demoted to the rank of corporal.
“Inspectors Obongha and Okereke were severely reprimanded for failing to exercise proper supervisory control, which allowed the unprofessional conduct to occur,” he said.
Mr Okoye said the Commissioner of Police in Imo State, Aboki Danjuma, condemned the officers’ actions.
Mr Danjuma, according to the statement, said the actions of the officers were in breach of the Force’s code of conduct and human rights standards.
The commissioner reiterated the command’s zero-tolerance policy for police misconduct and promised appropriate action for those found guilty.
He urged residents of Imo State to report any incident of police misconduct through the Complaints Response Unit for action
“The command is committed to transparency, professionalism, and protecting citizens’ rights,” he stated.
Not the first time
Cases of police brutality, extortion and other unprofessional activities in Nigeria have continued despite sanctions by police authorities.
Many Nigerians have suffered harassment, assault and extortion in the hands of police personnel.
READ ALSO: Police recover another corpse in Anambra
The latest incident happened less than three months after police authorities in Abia State dismissed three officers for allegedly engaging in abduction and extortion in Nigeria.
In October 2024, police in Ebonyi began an orderly room trial of officers filmed extorting motorists in the state.
Within the same period, the police in Imo State began another orderly room trial of four officers seen in a viral video clip extorting motorists in the state.
About three months earlier, police operatives in Bayelsa State extorted N3 million from a Nigerian man at gunpoint.
The officers were subsequently arrested after the victim petitioned police authorities.
The police operatives later returned the N3 million to the victim, about three weeks later
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