Police detain cybercrime officers over alleged student assault

Police officers allegedly assault a young man in a viral video recorded in Ede, Osun State, prompting an investigation by the Zone 11 Police Headquarters. Credit: X | PoliceNG_CRU

The Zone XI Command of the Nigeria Police Force said on Thursday that its operatives involved in the raid on a hostel occupied by some students of the Federal Polytechnic, Ede, Osun State, had been detained as an investigation into the incident commenced.

 The state Police Public Relations Officer, Olanrewaju Ojedele, disclosed this in a message sent to our correspondent via WhatsApp on Thursday, adding that the command had commenced an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident.

 Ojedele also said all the suspects arrested in connection with the incident had been released, adding that the student who was assaulted was taken to the clinic for treatment before he was released.

 “The officers involved have been detained accordingly for further investigation. All suspects have been released and the suspect assaulted was taken to the clinic for treatment before being released,” Ojedele said.

 Commenting further in a statement made available on Thursday, Ojedele said the Assistant Inspector-General of Police in charge of the zone, Bassey Ewah, ordered the immediate release of the arrested students after meeting representatives of the student body.

 “During the meeting, the AIG assured the students of a thorough and impartial investigation into the circumstances surrounding the alleged assault of one of them by operatives of the Zone 11 Cybercrime Unit,” the statement read.

The police boss further emphasised the need for accountability and professionalism in the discharge of police duties, assuring members of the public that the outcome of the investigation would be made public upon its conclusion.

 The AIG also urged members of the public to remain calm and law-abiding, saying appropriate steps would be taken regarding the incident to ensure justice.

 Earlier, the South-West Zone of the National Association of Nigerian Students petitioned the Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, alleging that operatives attached to the Cybercrime Unit of the Nigeria Police Force, Zone XI Command, Osogbo, invaded the residence of some students of the Federal Polytechnic, Ede, Osun State, and assaulted them.

 In a letter signed by its Coordinator, Josiah Adeyemo, with copies sent to the Chairman of the Police Service Commission, among others, the student body condemned the incident and demanded an immediate investigation into the conduct of the officers involved.

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 Adeyemo said the students were arrested and taken away after the alleged invasion, adding that the police had yet to contact their families or disclose their whereabouts.

 He said video evidence of the incident available to the group showed how the operatives forcefully gained entrance into a hostel occupied by a male and a female student, intimidated the occupants and physically manhandled them.

 The NANS coordinator also said the operatives seized the mobile phones of another student who recorded the incident from a separate building within the same compound.

 The statement read in part: “The leadership of the National Association of Nigerian Students, NANS South-West Zone D, strongly condemns the disturbing conduct of officers attached to the Cybercrime Unit of the Nigeria Police Force, Zone 11 Command, during an operation at a student hostel within our axis.

 “At the time of issuing this statement, the precise whereabouts and condition of the affected students have not been formally communicated to their families, colleagues or the organised student leadership. Although we have reasons to believe that they were taken to a police station, their place of detention, the allegations against them and their present condition remain unclear.

 “We therefore call on the Assistant Inspector-General of Police in charge of Zone 11, AIG Bassey S. Ewah, to immediately call the Cybercrime Unit to order and establish the location and safety of the affected students.”

 The group also demanded the immediate disclosure of the police formation where the students were being held; unrestricted access for their families, legal representatives and recognised student leaders; a medical examination of anyone assaulted or manhandled during the operation; and the immediate return of all seized phones and recording devices, provided they were not being lawfully retained as exhibits under a properly documented investigation.

 It further called for the preservation of every video recording connected to the incident and an end to any attempt to delete, suppress or tamper with evidence; the disclosure of the legal basis, allegations and authorisation under which the hostel operation and subsequent arrests were conducted; and an immediate investigation into the conduct of the officers involved, with appropriate disciplinary action where misconduct was established.

 In some of the video clips purportedly shot at the scene and obtained by our correspondent, two men in black outfits, one of whom carried a rifle, were seen dragging a male adult, who wore only underpants, out of a house, while a lady who also came out of the same house shouted for help.

 During the struggle, the two men repeatedly slapped the man being dragged. Another man, also in black, was observed moving towards the direction from which the incident was being recorded.