Youths assault, rob police officer

The Police Command in Rivers State has confirmed the alleged assault and robbery of a serving police officer by a group of youths in Nkpolu community in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of the state.

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A viral video showed a mob of youths physically assaulting Joshua Nyian, a police inspector, after accusing him of taking banned substances within their community.

Grace Iringe-Koko, the spokesperson for the command, told journalists in Port Harcourt on Tuesday that the incident occurred on 24 August at about 10:20 a.m.

She stated that the officer, attached to Woji Division, was returning from duty when the Nkpolu youth president, the community chairperson, and about 20 other youths accosted him.

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According to Ms Iringe-Koko, a superintendent of police, Mr Nyian was returning from duty and had stopped to visit a female acquaintance who was reportedly pregnant for him when the incident occurred.

“The youths reportedly beat him up, dragged him to the main road, and seized his police identity card and mobile phone.

“The mob further recorded him on video and forcefully collected N78,000 from him,” she said.

Ms Iringe-Koko stated that in his report, Mr Nyian alleged the attack may have been prompted by personal grievances, claiming that the youth president had previously made advances towards his girlfriend.

She said that following the report, the officer’s statement was voluntarily recorded, and a medical form was issued for treatment.

She added that efforts were ongoing to identify and bring those responsible for the assault, for questioning and investigation.

“The command urges community leaders to caution their youths against taking the law into their own hands, as the command remains committed to ensuring justice and maintaining public order,” she said.

Ms Iringe-Koko assured the public that justice would be served in the matter.

Cases of deadly attacks on police

There are previous cases of attacks, many of them deadly, against police operatives in the oil-rich Rivers.

PREMIUM TIMES, in 2021, reported how seven operatives were killed in the state by gunmen at two different police facilities – three were killed in Elimgbu police station, while two were killed at the divisional police headquarters in Rumuji.

Two operatives were killed at an attack on a security checkpoint along the East-West Road, this newspaper had reported.

READ ALSO: Sowore to appear in court over police’s forgery, defamation charges

Gunmen in August 2023 shot dead a police inspector in front of a hotel in the D/Line axis of the state capital, Port Harcourt and carted away his rifle.

Punch newspaper reported that the assailants rode in a Toyota Corolla with speed and stopped in front of the hotel, shot the operative and zoomed off.

Also in August last year, Bako Angbashim, a superintendent of police and divisional police officer in charge of Ahoada East Local Government Area of the state, was beheaded by gunmen.

The slain officer was killed by suspected members of the Iceland cult group in Odemude, a community in the local government area. The attackers laid in ambush for the officer, who, along with his colleagues, was planning a raid on some criminal hideouts in the area, PREMIUM TIMES reported.

The leader of the cult group, Gift Okpara, famously known as 2Baba, was later killed by the police about five months after he led the gang that murdered the police chief.

(NAN)