The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command has commenced an investigation into the alleged police assault on a yet-to-be-identified man who refused to unlock his phone for search.

An X user, Chuks Eric, posted a 59 seconds video of the man being assaulted by two police officers. He claimed that the incident happened in Kubwa, Abuja.

According to Eric, the young man was being beaten by the officers after he refused to unlock his phone for the officers to check.This happened despite a warning by the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, against officers engaging in the unprofessional conduct of searching citizens’ phones.

He has emphasised that such actions are only permissible when executing court orders. Despite the warnings, Police officers have continued in the brazen act against citizens who dare to push back.

Responding to enquiries on the matter and the identity of the affected officers, FCT’s Police Public Relations Officer, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), Josephine Adeh, said the case was not reported to any of the divisions in the command but the Command was working to fish out the culprits.

In her words: “My team is actively investigating this matter and working to identify the officers in the video. Meanwhile, anyone with relevant information is encouraged to contact the command at 09022222352.”