The police have arrested four agents who allegedly assaulted a traveler in state of the riversSouth-South Nigeria.
Background
Newslodge previously reported how a human rights activist, Harrison Gwamnishu, petitioned the Nigerian Police through its X-handle (formerly Twitter) on Friday for the alleged assault on a traveler by unidentified police officers in the state.
Gwamnishu said the traveler, identified simply as Jennifer, was allegedly beaten by officers who were in a stop-and-frisk operation around Ada George, Port Harcourt, on Thursday.
The activist uploaded a video clip of the incident to the social media platform.
“Please investigate this and call these men to order,” he asked the Nigerian police authorities.
video clip
In the one minute and three second clip, which has now gone viral, a woman is heard yelling at armed officers on a highway, accusing them of hurting her sister.
“This is the Nigerian police. Look at my sister’s mouth,” she yelled at the officers.
The video showed at least four armed officers at the scene of the incident.
“The police give my sister a beta lesion and you are here making a video of me. After hurting my sister. Did you see anything in my sister’s bag? Never,” she said.
The sister, who was supposed to be Jennifer, was bleeding from her lips. She was seen inside a Toyota Corolla car struggling to get clean.
The clip did not show when the officers allegedly inflicted the wound on him.
Two unidentified people, believed to be fellow passengers, were seen arguing with some of the officers.
‘We are investigating’
Responding, the police, in a message through their officer Facebook page on Saturday, they said they were aware of the viral clip of the officers accused of assaulting the woman.
“Preliminary findings have set the scene in Rivers State. We take this matter seriously and are actively investigating the situation,” police wrote.
officers arrest
The police, in a new update through their Facebook page on Monday confirmed the arrest of the four agents.
“We want to inform our esteemed friends that the police officers allegedly involved in the incident in the video have been identified and are now in custody as part of our ongoing investigation,” they said.
The police uploaded the viral video and a photograph of the four officers.
Police said they were committed to ensuring a “fair and thorough” examination of the matter.
“However, to ensure transparency and gather all perspectives, we urgently request the lady seen in the video to come forward and share her version of events,” they said.
The police also left their phone number and asked the woman to contact them or visit their facilities to narrate what happened during the incident.
It’s not the first time
The latest incident occurred about five months after a police officer, filmed slapping a motorist in Emouha, Rivers State, was demoted.
The Emouha incident occurred a few days after Ubi Ebri, another officer, allegedly shot dead a young man in neighboring Delta state for refusing to give a 100 naira bribe.
Newslodge reported how youths in Delta state protested with the victim’s body along the main roads of Asaba.
Mr. Ebri, the officer, was immediately arrested, dismissed from service, and subsequently prosecuted.