Police to investigate officers who allegedly assaulted traveller in Rivers

The police in Rivers State, South-south Nigeria, say they would investigate some officers who allegedly assaulted a traveller in the state.

Assault

A human rights activist, Harrison Gwamnishu, had petitioned the Nigerian Police Force via his X handle (formerly Twitter) on Friday over alleged assault of a traveller by some unidentified police officers in the state.

Mr Gwamnishu said the traveller, simply identified as Jennifer, was allegedly beaten by the officers who were on a stop-and- search operation around Ada George, Port Harcourt, on Thursday.

The activist uploaded a video clip of the incident.

“Please investigate this and call these men to order. Thank you,” he appealed to the police authorities in Nigeria.

Video clip

In the one minute, three seconds clip, which has now gone viral, a woman is heard shouting at some armed officers along a highway, accusing them of inflicting injury on her sister.

“This is the Nigerian Police. Look at my sister’s mouth,” she yelled at the officers.

The clip showed at least four armed officers at the scene of the incident.

“Policemen give my sister beta injury and you are here making a video of me. After giving my sister an injury. Did you see anything in my sister’s bag? Never,” she said.

The sister, understood to be Jennifer, was bleeding on her lips. She was seen inside a Toyota Corolla car struggling to clean herself up.

The clip did not show when the officers allegedly inflicted the injury on her.

Two unidentified persons, believed to be co-travellers, were seen discussing with some of the officers.

Police react

Responding, the police in Rivers State, via their official X handle on Saturday, said their attention had been drawn to the viral clip of the officers accused of assaulting the lady.

“…The command wishes to inform the general public that all hands are on deck to identify the police officers in the trending video for proper investigation,” the police wrote on the microblogging site.

Not the first time

The latest incident occurred about five months after a police officer, filmed slapping a motorist in Emouha, Rivers 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 N100 bribe.

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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.