The Ondo State Police Command says it has arrested four police officers seen in a viral video allegedly engaging in unprofessional conduct during a stop-and-search along the Lagos-Benin Expressway.
Spokesperson of the command, Abayomi Jimoh, disclosed this while briefing journalists in Akure, the state capital, on Friday.
Mr Jimoh gave the names of the officers as Elomore Sodayo, Adefila Adewale, Olorunfemi Opeyemi and Odusola Peter, all inspectors.
The Video
In the video, one of the officers who went through the vehicle documents of a driver and found them up to date, asked him to go and “do something better,” meaning to offer him bribes.
When the driver said he had nothing to offer, the officer seized his driver’s licence and asked him to park his vehicle for further checks on his documents.
The situation degenerated into an argument when a policeman in mufti, who was a passenger in the vehicle, tried to intervene.
Investigation
Mr Jimoh said the command has begun an investigation into the incident to determine the level of culpability of each officer involved
“The Command wishes to inform the general public that the officers captured in the video have been arrested and identified as AP/No. 207454 ASP Elomore Sodayo, AP/No. 332012 Inspector Adefila Adewale, AP/No. 332449 Inspector Olorunfemi Opeyemi, and AP/No. 332369 Inspector Odusola Peter.
“Consequently, the Commissioner of Police, CP Felix Ohagwu, psc, mnips, mspsp, has ordered a comprehensive investigation to unravel the circumstances surrounding the incident and determine the level of culpability of each officer involved,” he said.
He noted that the Nigeria Police Force is a disciplined and professional institution that does not condone any form of misconduct, incivility, or actions capable of undermining public confidence, promoting ethnic division, or bringing the Force into disrepute.
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According to Mr Jimoh, police officers are expected at all times to conduct themselves with the utmost professionalism, respect for human dignity, and in strict compliance with the Code of Conduct and Standard Operating Procedures.
“The Command assures members of the public that the outcome of the investigation will be guided by the principles of fairness, transparency, and accountability,” Mr Jimoh added.
“Any officer found to have acted contrary to the ethics and standards of the Nigeria Police Force will be subjected to appropriate disciplinary measures in accordance with the law and established disciplinary procedures.”
Mr Jimoh said the Ondo State Police Command remains committed to “professional, intelligence-driven, and community-oriented policing.”
He urged members of the public to remain law-abiding and continue to cooperate with the police by reporting any incident of misconduct through established complaint channels.
In September last year, the command sanctioned eight officers for professional misconduct.
It explained that the sanction was based on complaints received from members of the public.
