Six Policemen Arrested in Rivers State After Viral Video Shows Brutal Assault on Motorist

Rivers State Commissioner of Police, Olugbenga Adepoju

The Rivers State Police Command has confirmed the arrest of six policemen after a viral video showed them brutalising a man on the outskirts of Port Harcourt.

Police spokesperson Grace Iringe-Koko revealed the development on Thursday, stating that the officers were now in detention and would face an orderly room trial.

In the disturbing video, the victim appeared with blood dripping from his head down his face and clothes. He alleged that the policemen stopped his car and demanded a tinted permit, which he explained he had been unable to renew due to delays at the relevant agency.

According to the victim, the officers ignored his explanation, dragged him and his brother, labelled them criminals, and assaulted a woman who was with them. He said the officers eventually struck him on the head with an object, leaving him bleeding heavily.

“They said I should give them ₦1 million because I didn’t have a tinted permit. I told them I didn’t have that kind of money and that I had gone to the Internal Revenue Service but was told their machine was bad. I offered ₦20,000 instead. My brother was slapped and fell, while the girl with us was beaten and stripped. Before I knew it, they hit me on the head, and I fell, covered in blood,” he recounted.

Iringe-Koko confirmed that both the victim and the accused officers were brought before the Commissioner of Police, Olugbenga Adepoju, who ordered their detention after hearing both sides. She added that the CP had directed his monitoring team to conduct a full-scale investigation.