THE DELTA State Police Command has vowed that its officer who shot and killed a suspect in Effurun area of the state would be tried for murder.
The incident, captured in a widely shared video, has caused strong public condemnation.
Reacting to the video and accompanying public outrage against the killer-cop while featuring on Channels TV “Morning Brief,” on Wednesday, April 29, the command spokesperson, Bright Edafe, said the officer, Nuhu Usman, would face the full wrath of the law.
Edafe stated that the officer’s actions were unprofessional and unjustifiable. He also addressed why the officer’s face was covered in the official statement announcing his arrest and explained that it was done in line with professional standards.
The iCIR reports that the victim, identified as Mene Ogidi, was 28 years old. He was said to be an upcoming artiste.
According to the police, the incident happened on April 26, 2026. Officers from the Effurun Area Command had acted on intelligence suggesting that the suspect had been caught while trying to send a package containing “a Beretta pistol with four rounds of ammunition.”
However, the police confirmed that the officer in charge of the operation for his arrest violated official rules. “The police officer leading the team, ASP Nuhu Usman, in clear violation of Force Order 237 and the Standard Operating Procedure of the Nigeria Police Force, discharged his firearm, leading to the death of the suspect,” the command spokesperson said in a statement after the video of the killing went viral.
While condoling with the deceased’ family, the command said upon receipt of the report of the shooting, the Commissioner of Police directed the Area Commander, Effurun, to immediately arrest the officer and transfer him to the State Headquarters, Asaba, for necessary disciplinary action.
“The officer has since been queried and transferred to Force Headquarters, Abuja, where he will appear before the Force Disciplinary Committee, currently in session, for immediate disciplinary sanction and prosecution.
The ICIR reports that the incident adds to a pattern of extra-judicial killings by police officers and other armed state actors in Nigeria.
Efforts to halt the illicit act have failed to yield results as activists, lawyers, journalists, civil society organisations and other citizens frowning at the menace have been tracked, apprehended, tried in court and jailed.
The most notable attempt by Nigerians to halt the police inhumane treatment of Nigerians culminated in the #ENDSARS Protests in 2020, in which many Nigerians were brutally attacked and killed.
Meanwhile, many Nigerians are calling on the Nigerian Police Force to apprehend all officers culpable in Ogidi’s killing for questioning and prosecution.
Zainab Abdulrasaq ia a reporter and a fact-checker with The ICIR. She believes that accountable citizenship starts with an accountable government, which is why she highlights injustice and everyday struggles through her reporting, one story at a time. She adores reading and can be reached via zabdulrasaq@icirnigeria.org and @blackbookishgirl on Instagram/Medium