The police in Ebonyi State, south-east Nigeria, say they will investigate some operatives seen in a viral video clip assaulting two yet-to-be-identified men in the state.
The police spokesperson in the state, Joshua Ukandu, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday.
The viral video clip
In the 30-second clip, seen by PREMIUM TIMES, some armed police operatives, numbering about five, were filmed flogging the men along a road.
The incident was said to have happened earlier on Sunday. However, it is unclear which part of the state the incident happened.
Some of the operatives later attempted to bundle one of the assaulted men into their Toyota Hilux pickup truck parked along the road while still beating and kicking him violently.
The vehicle bore an inscription, ‘SWAT,’ an acronym for Special Weapons Tactics Team, a Nigerian police unit.
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The SWAT was established in 2020 as a replacement for the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) which was disbanded following allegations of brutality and harassment against them.
“What did he do?” some residents were heard asking the operatives as they violently dragged one of the men to their vehicle.
A Toyota saloon car was also parked close to the area. It is unclear if the car belongs to the men.
There was speculation that the two men were being assaulted for driving a vehicle with tinted glass which was recently banned by the state governor, Francis Nwifuru.
But PREMIUM TIMES could not independently verify this.
Investigation and sanction
Reacting to the statement, Mr Ukandu, a deputy superintendent of police, said apart from the investigation being carried out into the incident, the operatives involved in the incident will be sanctioned.
“The (Ebonyi Police) Command unequivocally condemns their (the operatives’) unprofessional conduct and necessary administrative measures have already been initiated while a detailed investigation into the incident has commenced to ensure justice and appropriate disciplinary action,” he said.
“The Commissioner of Police, Ebonyi State Police Command, Augustina Ogbodo, is using this medium to reiterate that no form of incivility to members of the public or any form of misconduct by any police officer(s) will be tolerated under her watch,” the police spokesperson stated.
The police commissioner, according to the statement, has urged residents of the state to remain calm and be law-abiding.
She assured that any police officer “found wanting would be met with severe disciplinary actions.”
Not the first time
Cases of police brutality and assault against Nigerians are not new.
In October 2020, Nigerian youths protested against police brutality across the country and called for the disbandment of the now-defunct SARS, formerly a police unit.
Despite the ban on SARS, the cases of police brutality have persisted across the country.
Six officers, for instance, were caught in a viral video, in April 2023, using a machete to smack two unidentified people in Imo State.
The police in the state would later begin an ‘orderly room trial’ of the officers.
Four police operatives were arrested in September 2023 for allegedly assaulting a traveller in Rivers State.
Days after, a young man accused some officers in Port Harcourt, Rivers State of allegedly kidnapping, locking him up in a police cell and forcing him to pay some money before being released.
The police in the state subsequently arrested the officers who allegedly carried out the act.
Again, in April 2023, a police officer who was filmed slapping a motorist in the Emouha Area of the state was demoted.
The Emouha incident occurred a few days after Ubi Ebri, another officer, allegedly shot dead a young man in the neighbouring Delta State for reportedly refusing to give a N100 bribe.
PREMIUM TIMES reported how youths in Delta State protested with the victim’s corpse along major roads in Asaba.
Mr Ebri, the officer, was immediately arrested, dismissed from service and later arraigned.
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