Imo State Police Command has arrested and detained four security personnel captured in a viral video allegedly forcing a young man into the boot of a vehicle during an operation in Nekede, Owerri.
Gatekeepers News reports that the incident occurred on Sunday along Human Race Road in Nekede. In a statement issued on Tuesday, the command’s spokesperson, Henry Okoye, said the Commissioner of Police, Audu Bosso, ordered an immediate investigation into the officers’ conduct after the video surfaced online.
According to the police, preliminary findings showed that those involved were two police officers attached to the Nekede Divisional Headquarters and two Supernumerary Police Officers. They were carrying out an operation at a location suspected to be used for drug trafficking, during which two suspects were arrested. Police said substances believed to be cannabis sativa were recovered from one of the suspects, who allegedly admitted to selling illicit drugs in the area.
Despite the reported recovery, the command condemned the officers’ actions, describing the manner in which one of the suspects was forced into the vehicle boot as “unacceptable, inhumane, and completely not in conformity with the Standard Operating Procedures, Code of Conduct, and professional ethics of the Nigeria Police Force.”
The case has been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) for a comprehensive and impartial investigation, while disciplinary proceedings have commenced against the officers.
The police said the outcome of the investigation would be made public upon completion and reaffirmed the command’s commitment to professional policing that respects the rights and dignity of all citizens.
