Police probe officer filmed assaulting man in Imo

The police in Imo State say they have begun investigation into a viral video showing an officer assaulting a man along the Owerri–Orlu Road in the state.

The police spokesperson in the state, Henry Okoye, said in a statement on Wednesday that the incident happened on Tuesday.

The viral clip

The video clip, which has now gone viral on social media, showed the armed officer assaulting the victim while his fellow officers tried to restrain him.

The officer was subsequently seen attempting to cock his rifle while pointing it at the man.

The man, a motorist, later told the officer’s colleagues that the officer stopped him to check his vehicle documents and then demanded “fuel money”, which he declined, prompting the officer to descend on him.

‘We’ve identified the officer’

In Wednesday’s statement, Mr Okoye, a deputy superintendent of police, said the police in the state have identified the officer as Gabriel Utuh, an assistant superintendent of police.

The spokesperson said the officer was the team leader of the Rapid Response Squad patrol team deployed along the Owerri–Orlu Road in the state.

“The circumstances surrounding the incident are being thoroughly investigated, and appropriate disciplinary measures will be taken against any erring officer,” he said.

Mr Okoye assured residents of Imo State that the investigation would be “thorough, impartial and guided by the principles of accountability and professionalism.”

He dropped a mobile phone number and urged the victim to contact the Command’s Complaint Response Unit to assist with the ongoing investigation.

The spokesperson said the Commissioner of Police in Imo State, Audu Bosso, has reiterated the command’s zero tolerance for unprofessional conduct, abuse of authority, and violations of citizens’ fundamental rights.

The police chief also reaffirmed the command’s commitment to accountability, discipline, and professionalism.

Not the first time  

Cases of police brutality, extortion, extrajudicial killings and other unprofessional activities in Nigeria have continued despite sanctions by police authorities, such as dismissal from service.

The latest incident occurred less than three weeks after the police authorities ordered the arrest and detention of a police inspector and two personnel of the Imo State Civil Guard Corps over alleged extortion in the state.

Six months ago, the police in Anambra State arrested and detained six senior officers who allegedly tortured and extorted N200,000 from a trader in Onitsha, the commercial hub of the South-eastern state.

In February, three officers were dismissed over alleged kidnapping, extorting N1.7 million and car snatching in Imo, another state in the South-east.

Last January, police operatives shot dead a private motorcyclist in Ebonyi State. 

In November 2024, police operatives from the Crack Squad in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, shot dead a labourer and critically injured three others in the state.

A similar incident happened in the same Abakaliki in 2018 when a police officer shot and killed a commercial motorcyclist for allegedly refusing to give him a N50 bribe.

In August 2024, police operatives in Bayelsa State extorted N3 million from a Nigerian man at gunpoint.

The victim later petitioned police authorities, and the officers were arrested.

The police operatives later returned the N3 million to the victim, about three weeks later.