Police detain four officers who forced man into vehicle boot

The police in Imo State, South-east Nigeria, say they have arrested and detained four officers filmed forcing a yet-to-be-identified man into their vehicle’s boot.

The police spokesman in the state, Henry Okoye, disclosed this in a statement on Monday.

A recent video clip circulating on Facebook showed four officers forcing a man into the boot of a saloon car along a street.

While the victim struggled to come out of the boot, the officers joined hands in forcing him inside the boot before finally locking the victim inside.

In the Monday statement, Mr Okoye, a deputy superintendent of police, said the police command in Imo State is aware of the incident.

The spokesman said the incident occurred at about 9:00 a.m. on Sunday at Human Race Road in Nekede Area of Owerri, the state capital.

He said, upon receipt of information about the incident, the Commissioner of Police in Imo State, Audu Bosso, ordered immediate investigation to identify the personnel involved and establish the circumstances surrounding the incident.

Mr Okoye said preliminary investigation showed the officers were two police officers attached to the Nekede Divisional Headquarters and two supernumerary police officers.

He said the officers were conducting an operation at a suspected drug trafficking location in the area during which two suspects were arrested.

The police spokesman said substances suspected to be Cannabis Sativa were recovered from one suspect, who admitted to selling illicit drugs in the area.

“Notwithstanding the outcome of the operation, the Imo State Police Command unequivocally condemns the unprofessional conduct of the personnel as captured in the viral video.

“The manner in which one of the suspects was arrested and forced into the boot of a vehicle is unacceptable, inhumane, and completely not in conformity with the Standard Operating Procedures, Code of Conduct, and professional ethics of the Nigeria Police Force,” he said.

Continuing, Mr Okoye said: “Consequently, the Commissioner of Police has ordered the immediate detention of the four officers.

“The case has been referred to the State Criminal Investigation Department for a detailed and impartial investigation, while appropriate disciplinary procedures have commenced against the erring officers.”

He assured that the outcome of the investigation would be made public upon completion.

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The spokesman said the commissioner of police in Imo State has reassured residents of the state of police command’s commitment to combating crime.

He further maintained that all policing operations are conducted “professionally, lawfully, and with due respect for the rights and dignity of every individual.”

Not the first time

Cases of police brutality, extortion, extrajudicial killings and other unprofessional activities in Nigeria have continued despite sanctions by police authorities, such as dismissal from service.

The latest incident occurred less than a month after the police in Ebonyi State detained some officers who allegedly assaulted and then gouged out the right eye of a man in the state.

In June, police in Imo State detained six other operatives who were filmed assaulting a young man in the state.

In May, the Nigeria Police Force arrested and detained some police operatives who were filmed assaulting some passengers in Abia State, Nigeria’s South-east.

In April, a police officer, Nuhu Usman, and three others were filmed publicly shooting a handcuffed man to death in Delta State, South-south Nigeria.

The erring officers were initially arrested over the matter and subsequently transferred to the Force Headquarters in Abuja for disciplinary action and were dismissed after their action was found to have constituted professional misconduct and abuse of office.

Earlier the same month, the Commissioner of Police in Delta State, Yemi Oyeniyi, ordered the “orderly room trial” of two police officers for allegedly using a Point of Sales Machine to extort motorists inside a police station.

In March, some police officers in Anambra State illegally arrested, tortured and extorted N1.4 million from some Nigerians.

The money was later refunded to the victims following public outrage.

Earlier in March, police in Anambra State arrested and detained six senior officers who allegedly tortured and extorted N200,000 from a trader in Onitsha, the commercial hub of Anambra State.

In February, three officers were dismissed over alleged kidnapping, extorting N1.7 million and car snatching in Imo, another state in the South-east.

In January, police operatives shot dead a private motorcyclist in Ebonyi State.

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In November 2024, police operatives from the Crack Squad in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State shot dead a labourer and critically injured three others in the state.

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A similar incident happened in the same Abakaliki in 2018 when a police officer shot and killed a commercial motorcyclist for allegedly refusing to give him N50 bribe.

In August 2024, 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 returned the N3 million to the victim, about three weeks later.