Imo State Police Command has taken disciplinary action against three officers after a disturbing video surfaced showing one of them assaulting a civilian with a firearm along the Owerri-Aba Road.
The officer at the center of the incident, Sergeant Anayo Ekezie, has now been demoted to the rank of Corporal. This decision follows a thorough investigation by the Command’s disciplinary committee, which conducted an orderly room trial in response to the viral footage.
The incident, captured on video and widely circulated online, drew public outrage and prompted immediate action from police authorities.
According to a statement from the Command’s Public Relations Officer, DSP Henry Okoye, the trial was held in accordance with the Nigeria Police Force’s internal disciplinary procedures. Sergeant Ekezie was found guilty of gross misconduct for using a firearm to intimidate and assault a man during a routine patrol.
Also mentioned in the case were two other officers, Inspector Ofem Obongha and Inspector Obinna Okereke, both of whom served with Ekezie in the Safer Highway Unit.
Although they were not directly involved in the physical assault, they were officially reprimanded for failing in their supervisory duties, which contributed to the breakdown of discipline among their team.
Okoye noted, “The Commissioner of Police CP Aboki Danjuma condemned the officers’ actions, describing them as a breach of the Force’s Code of Conduct and human rights standards.”
In the same statement, the Command reminded officers of the force’s commitment to upholding professionalism, discipline, and respect for citizens’ rights. CP Danjuma also reaffirmed the Command’s zero-tolerance stance on any form of misconduct.
