EKPOMA, Nigeria – Ekpoma, a university town in Esan West Local Government Area of Edo State, witnessed a horrifying incident on Thursday, June 29, 2023, when a police van ran over a handcuffed suspect who had been made to lie on the ground half-clad.
The incident was captured in a 27-minute video that shows a team of policemen using an official black Sienna bus, provided by the Edo State Government, dragging a handcuffed middle-aged man.
The video recorded the alarm raised by community members who had gathered around the van in concern for the man’s well-being.
The video went viral on social media on Friday, June 30, 2023.
In the footage, the driver of the police van is seen opening the van door and fleeing the scene after dragging the immobilized suspect for several meters.
WATCH THE VIDEO BELOW:
The handcuffed man was lying on the ground in front of the police vehicle when the driver proceeded to crush and drag him for over 100 meters despite the shouts and cries of onlookers.
The community was enraged by the incident and an angry crowd formed.
However, the crowd was dispersed by the policemen who fired gunshots into the air.
In response to the shocking incident, the Edo State Police Command’s spokesman, Chidi Nwabuzor, issued a press statement confirming that the policemen involved had been arrested.
The Edo State Commissioner of Police, Mohammed Dankwara, appealed for calm from the community and the general public.
The statement by the Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, Chidi Nwabuzor, reads in part:
“The Edo State Police Command is aware of the trending video on social media showing some police officers in a Sienna vehicle running over a young man who was handcuffed. The action of the policeman seen in the footage is barbaric, inhumane, and unprofessional.”
Preliminary findings disclosed that the officers had intercepted the driver of an unregistered Lexus car and requested the vehicle’s particulars.
However, the driver, identified as Success Ehimare, became aggressive and attacked the officers.
He was subsequently arrested, handcuffed, and taken to Irrua Specialist Hospital for treatment.
The Commissioner of Police, CP Mohammed Adamu Dankwara, condemned the incident and has ordered the Divisional Police Officer, DPO, of Ekpoma to bring the officers involved to the State Police Headquarters in Benin for investigation.
The officers are currently in custody at the State Criminal Investigation Department.
The incident has triggered widespread outrage and calls for justice, as well as a comprehensive review of police conduct and the use of force by law enforcement officers.
