A police officer, Newton Isokpehi, who sparked outrage online after threatening to shoot anyone caught recording him while on duty, has apologised to Nigerians over his comments.
Isokpehi, whose video circulated widely on social media on Wednesday, said his remarks were made in anger and did not represent his true intentions.
In a fresh video shared on his TikTok page on Thursday, the officer appealed for understanding and forgiveness from the public, including rights activist Harrison Gwamnishu, who had helped draw attention to the earlier clip.
Speaking in Pidgin English, Isokpehi explained that frustration over the challenges faced by police officers led him to make the controversial statement.
According to a translation of his remarks, the officer said he never intended to threaten innocent Nigerians and regretted the way his comments were interpreted.
He maintained that citizens have the right to record police officers but argued that some people had abused that freedom by aggressively filming officers during operations.
Newton Isokpehi, who identified himself as an indigene of Edo State and said he was raised in police barracks in Kaduna, described himself as a committed member of the force with years of service experience.
He stated that he had spent 12 years in the Mobile Police unit and had dedicated himself fully to serving Nigeria.
As part of his appeal, Isokpehi displayed several gunshot scars on his body, saying they were sustained during dangerous operations carried out in the line of duty.
He recounted surviving a deadly mission in which only two officers reportedly made it out alive from a team of 17 personnel.
According to him, the emotional and physical toll of police work contributed to his outburst.
The officer insisted that he would never intentionally harm the same citizens he swore to protect, describing his earlier threat as “mere talk” spoken in anger.
He directly appealed to Gwamnishu and Nigerians at large to forgive him, admitting that the controversy had escalated beyond what he expected.
Isokpehi also said anyone willing to know him personally could meet him face-to-face, stressing that he had nothing to hide.
He concluded his apology by expressing hope that conditions within the Nigeria Police Force would improve under the leadership of the current Inspector General of Police.
The controversy began after a video surfaced online showing the officer threatening to “clear everybody down,” including bystanders near anyone recording him while on duty.
The clip quickly gained traction across X and Instagram, triggering criticism from many Nigerians and rights advocates.
As of the time of filing this report, the Nigeria Police Force had yet to release an official statement regarding the incident.
See him apologising and showing bullet wound scars here.
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