The Imo State Police Command has arrested a police inspector seen assaulting a young man in a viral video.
The incident, which occurred in Owerri, the state capital, elicited responses, with many condemning the victim’s inhumane treatment.
In response to a request for the officer’s detention, the state police commissioner, Muhammed Berde, ordered the officer’s immediate arrest.
State police spokesman Henry Okoye issued a statement Wednesday condemning the officer’s unprofessional conduct.
The statement read, “The attention of Imo State Police Command has been drawn to a viral video with a caption; ”Nigeria Police can Never be Your Friend Especially the Ones in Owerri”, where a Police Inspector alleged to be serving in Imo State was seen forcefully removing the cap of a young man and slapping him several times on his face.
“The Commissioner of Police, Imo State, CP Mohammed Ahmed Barde, psc(+), condemns this irritating act in totality as it highly contradicts the professional ethics and code of conduct of the Force. The Nigeria Police Force is a highly disciplined organisation and will never tolerate the misconduct of the officer seen in the video.
“To this effect, the CP has mandated his monitoring team to investigate and identify the officer for necessary disciplinary action. More so, the victim is encouraged to call the PPRO Imo on 08148024755 or come to the Police Public Relations Department Owerri and make his complaint.”
The police spokesman announced a few hours later, on the same Wednesday, that the offending officer had been identified and arrested.
The officer, according to Okoye, is currently undergoing an orderly room trial.
The police spokesman confirmed “the irritating incident happened in Owerri. The recalcitrant Inspector has been identified; he is currently undergoing orderly room trial after which necessary disciplinary action will be taken against him.”
