The Rivers State Police Command has arrested two of its operatives who assaulted and brutalised a middle-aged man identified as Iyke in Oyigbo. Local Government Area of the state.
In a viral video seen by our correspondent, the two armed police officers were seen dragging the man and pushing him towards their patrol van packed along the road.
The incident took place on Saturday, July 8, 2023, when the man dressed in brown trousers and a black handless casual shirt was seen trying to explain a point to the officers, refusing to follow the officers.
But the cops holding AK-47 rifles kept dragging the man, pulled him to the ground and eventually succeded in bundling him into their steaming van.
A man’s voice who commented on the video decried the action of the policemen who he said operated like men of the disbanded Special Anti-Robbery Squad, saying such an act was a recurring decimal in the Oyigbo axis of the state.
The unidentified man’s voice in the video could be heard calling on members of the public to share the video until it gets to the authorities.
He stated, “Please you people should share this video because what they (police) are doing in Oyigbo is not good.
“What has this boy done now that they are dragging him? They have started again in Oyigbo. Somebody cannot dress well here.
“You people said SARS have gone, but they are still here. Instead you people. (making a veiled reference to SARS) changed name that you are cops.
“Please share this video and like.”
Similarly, a female voice that gave the name of the brutalised boy as Iyke, according to the trending video said, “What kind of this thing is this? Iyke, don’t follow them.
“They (the policeman) should not injure this boy. What has he done? Iyke don’t allow them, don’t follow them.”
Meanwhile, the state Commissioner of Police, Emeka Nwonyi condemned the action of the policemen and described it as unprofessional.
Mwonyi in a statement signed by the Command’s spokesperson, Grace Iringe-Koko said the two operatives have been identified and apprehended.
The statement reads, “The Commissioner of Police, CP Nwonyi Polycarp Emeka, has condemned the police assault and brutality of a man in a video trending on social media.
“The policemen in the video have been identified and arrested. They are currently at the Command undergoing trial for their unprofessional act which will serve as a deterrent to other police personnel.
The police appealed to the victim to come forward to the Public Relations Department of the command to give his own statement to aid the conclusion of the investigations and his identity will be protected.
“The commissioner of Police assures members of the public, that the police operatives will be investigated in line with extant rules underlying the conduct of police personnel and appropriate sanctions meted accordingly.
“The command further assures the good people of Rivers State of its unalloyed commitment to promoting the rule of law,” the statement added.
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