Viral video: Nigeria police arrest officers who extorted, assaulted passengers along expressway in Kogi

The Kogi State Police Command has arrested and detained four of its personnel over a viral video showing them harassing passengers of a vehicle along Adogo-Okene Road.

The police team allegedly extorted N25,000 from a traveller and slapped one of the bus passengers for allegedly querying why the officer was cocking his gun. The slap was caught on video.

The offending officers were identified as ASP Isah Barnabas, Inspector Ifediegwu Godwin, Sergeant Emmanuel Ochima and Corporal Umameh Mathias. Corporal Mathias was the one who slapped one of the passengers.

This was made known in a statement issued by the command’s spokesman, William Aya, on behalf of the state police commissioner, Idrisu Dauda Dabban.

According to the statement, the command had also launched an investigation into the viral video showing the high-handedness of the police personnel attached to Adogo Division.

He said ASP Barnabas had been issued an official query while the three junior officers were currently undergoing an Orderly Room Trial (police internal disciplinary action).

The statement reads: “The Kogi State Police Command has commenced investigations into a trending video where Police personnel attached to Adogo Division, while on patrol duty along Adogo-Okene Road, reportedly extorted the sum of Twenty-Five Thousand Naira (N25,000) from a traveller while another was physically assaulted by one of the men in uniform.

“The Commissioner of Police, Kogi State Police Command, CP Idrisu Dauda Dabban, psc (+), fdc, while condemning the incident, noted that the Police officers have been identified and detained at the State Criminal Investigations Department.

“The officers are: ASP Isah Barnabas, Inspector Ifediegwu Godwin, Sgt Emmanuel Ochima and CPL Umameh Mathias who physically assaulted one of the travellers.

“The Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) has been issued an official query while the three (3) other junior officers are currently undergoing orderly room trial (Police internal disciplinary actions).

”The CP further noted that the Command is doing its best to establish contact with the victims. He enjoined the victims to reach out to the Command through 08107899269.

“He assured that any of the officers found wanting in the investigations would be dealt with accordingly.”

The development comes after the video showing the assault had now gone viral.

The video shows the moment an armed police officer slapped a passenger travelling in a commercial bus.

In the video, a man explains that a team of police officers stopped a commercial bus to carry out a search.

During their search, they found a laptop with a man who said he was a student and used the laptop for his assignments. The man claimed the officers did not believe the student and demanded a bribe of N25, 000.

In his account, one of the officers removed his uniform and took the student to a point-of-sale operator where they made the student withdraw N25, 000 and handed it over to them as they did not want it transferred to any of their accounts to avoid detection.

He further claimed that when one of the passengers frowned on the intimidation, extortion, and threat by one of the officers to shoot, the officer got angry and slapped the man.

The officer further threatened that if he cocked his gun, nothing would happen.

The man claimed the police officer threatened that blood would flow if they did not caution themselves.

He said, “Look at what Nigerian police is doing to the citizens of this country, they forced a fellow passenger to get into their car to the ATM to withdraw money. All the drivers parked and condemned it. He has come now and started slapping. He slapped a passenger because the man asked him why will they follow a passenger to the POS.

“Look at his face, he said he will kill, he said blood will flow if they don’t take time. We are here in Kogi State.”