The Police Command in Enugu State says it has constituted an investigative panel over three officers involved in professional misconduct within Enugu metropolis.
Ahmed Abdurrahman, the state commissioner of Police, disclosed this, on Monday, January 6, 2020, while briefing newsmen on the identified and arrested officers.
According to various news reports, the three unidentified officers illegally confiscated iPhone 6 from one Justice Obasi on Saturday in Enugu, South East Nigeria, and then beat him up when he insisted on getting the phone back.
The armed police officers were captured in the video kicking and punching the victim.
“The thing was like a dream to me,” said Mr Obasi, an interior decorator who lives in the city.
The officers later returned the phone to Mr Obasi and allowed him to walk away after a passer-by who claimed to be a retired police officer intervened.
“JUSTICE FOR JUSTICE OBASI – Following the directives of the IGP, the Enugu State Police Command has since identified, traced and arrested the three policemen involved in the assault of citizen – Justice Obasi,” the police tweeted on Sunday afternoon via its Twitter account @PoliceNG.
The suspects include two non-commissioned officers and one police constable.
Abdurrahman said that the panel had been given three days to conclude work and report back to the command through the commissioner’s office.
“After the panel’s three days’ work, we will look into the panel’s findings and recommendation.
“Then, they will definitely face orderly room trial and after all these, we know what level of punishment will be meted on them,” he said.
The commissioner said that the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, who has seen the video clip and was quite disturbed, has ordered for a full investigation and arrest of the police personnel involved in the act of brutality.
“The members of the public should know that the Nigeria Police under the present I-G cannot condone and shade such uncivilised characters.
“Nigerians should know that negative action of the erring personnel is unprofessional and does not in any way reflect the image and attitude of the Nigerian Police.
“We are here to police with a human face and some level of decorum and civility,” he said.
On the recent purported chasing away and locking up of Assemblies of God Church, Agbani Road; the commissioner said that the police did not chase away worshipers, insisting that “it is untrue.”
Abdurrahman explained that the police responded following a distress call from the church members that two factions of the church were already fighting and about to cause social unrest in Agbani Road axis of the state.
“When the police got there, all efforts to make the worshippers co-worship, while we set a date to look into their grievances, proved abortive.
“When the police personnel on the ground saw that their violence and disagreement was getting out of hand; they have to gently lock-up the church premises to prevent bloodshed, arson and wanton destruction of property,” he added.
