The Ondo State Police Command has opened a disciplinary investigation into officers captured in a viral video allegedly threatening and intimidating a traveller during a stop at a checkpoint in the state.
The video, which has attracted widespread reactions across social media, showed one of the officers allegedly telling the motorist that he would have been slapped and taken into custody if he had belonged to the Igbo ethnic group.
The traveller, a Nigerian said to have recently returned from the United Kingdom, was reportedly intercepted at a police checkpoint where the officers allegedly attempted to extort him before the confrontation was recorded.
Confirming the development, the Police Public Relations Officer in the state, DSP Abayomi Jimoh, said the command had taken immediate steps to investigate the incident following the circulation of the footage online.
According to him, the command maintains a zero tolerance policy for acts of misconduct and will not shield any officer found to have acted outside the standards of the Nigeria Police Force.
Jimoh called on the victim to cooperate with investigators by providing further information that could assist in establishing the full circumstances surrounding the incident and facilitate appropriate action.
He assured members of the public that the command remains committed to professionalism, accountability and the protection of citizens’ rights, adding that any officer found culpable would be sanctioned in line with existing police regulations.