The Imo State Police Command has arrested and detained four police personnel captured in a viral video forcing a young man into the booth of a vehicle during an operation in Nekede.
The command’s spokesperson, Henry Okoye, confirmed the development in a statement, saying the incident occurred around 9 a.m. on Sunday along Human Race Road, Nekede.
According to Okoye, preliminary investigations showed that the officers involved comprised two policemen attached to the Nekede Divisional Headquarters and two Supernumerary Police Officers.
He said the officers were carrying out an operation at a suspected drug trafficking location when they arrested two suspects.
Okoye disclosed that substances suspected to be Cannabis sativa were recovered from one of the suspects, who admitted to selling illicit drugs in the area.
The police condemned the officers’ conduct stating it was unprofessional and contrary to the standards of the Nigeria Police Force.
“The manner in which one of the suspects was arrested and forced into the boot of a vehicle is unacceptable, inhumane, and completely not in conformity with the Standard Operating Procedures, Code of Conduct, and professional ethics of the Nigeria Police Force,” the statement read.
Okoye said the Commissioner of Police had ordered the immediate detention of the four officers pending further investigation.
He added that the case had been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department for a thorough and impartial probe, while disciplinary proceedings had commenced against the officers.
According to him, the outcome of the investigation and any disciplinary action taken will be made public upon the conclusion of the process.