Rivers: Police commissioner orders arrest of officers who assaulted motorist

Commissioner of Police in Rivers State, Okon Effiong has ordered the arrest of two officers seen in a viral video assaulting an unidentified man in the state.

In the clip which has been circulating on Twitter, Facebook and WhatsApp, one of the officers, armed with an AK-47 rifle, is seen slapping the motorist after beating him with a cane.

Another officer was also filmed shoving a woman, who was with the man, into a car.

The police spokesperson in Rivers, Grace Iringe-Koko, in a statement on Monday said the incident happened at Elibrada junction, Emohua.

Ms Iringe-Koko, a superintendent of police, said the officers involved in the incident had been identified, and that the police commissioner has ordered their immediate arrest.

“As a defender of human rights, the CP assures members of the public, the Police Officers will be investigated in line with extant rules underlying the conduct of police personnel, and appropriate sanctions meted accordingly,” the statement said.

The police said they were committed to promoting the rule of law in Rivers State and appealed to residents to report cases of human rights abuses.

The Rivers incident occurred a few days after a police officer allegedly shot dead a young man in the neighbouring Delta State for reportedly refusing to give N100 bribe.

PREMIUM TIMES reported how youths in Delta State protested with the victim’s corpse through major roads in Asaba.

The victim, Onyeka Ibe, was inside a car with his wife when he was shot.

The officer who allegedly shot the man had been arrested and detained.