Four officers face trial for brutalising suspect

Imo State Police Commissioner Aboki Danjuma has ordered an orderly room trial of four officers attached to the command’s anti-narcotics unit for allegedly brutalising a suspect they had gone to arrest.

This was contained in a statement issued yesterday by the command’s spokes person, Henry Okoye. Danjuma reprimanded them for being unprofessional in executing their duty, as confirmed in a viral video in circulation.

He said: “The Imo State Police Command is aware of the recent video circulating on social media depicting a confrontation during the arrest of a young man and wants to assure the public that the command takes such matters seriously and is committed to maintaining law and order in the State.

“In response to the video, four operatives of the command’s anti-narcotics unit, namely, Sgt Patrick Nwangbo, Cpl Godswill Okechukwu, Cpl Justice Nnorom and Cpl Goodluck Iwuagwu, embarked on an operation at Ovoro-Uzumeri Umuosu, Naze in Owerri North Council of Imo State, on September 16, to execute an arrest warrant for a young man named Prince Amaechi, 32, linked to a case of conspiracy and drug trafficking, based on the confession of previously arrested suspects named Ijeoma Ezealamba, ‘f’, and Ebenezer Chukwuka, ‘m’.

“During the operation, the suspect resisted arrest, leading to the escalation captured in the video.

“The command condemns the operatives’ actions, emphasising that the situation should have been handled with greater discretion and professionalism.

“The operatives involved have been apprehended for interrogation, and the Commissioner of Police has directed that the case be transferred to the IGP X-Squad, Imo State Command, for thorough investigation.

“Additionally, the officers will face an orderly room trial pending the outcome of the investigation.”

The statement added: “The command urges the public to remain calm and avoid spreading misinformation while we conduct our investigation.

“The Imo State Police Command is dedicated to transparency and will provide updates as appropriate to keep the members of the public informed.”