By Amofokhai Williams
The Nigeria Police Force has ordered the immediate dismissal and criminal prosecution of a senior officer and his team over the fatal shooting of a 34-year-old engineer, Mr. Mene Ogidi, in Effurun, Delta State, marking one of the fastest disciplinary actions against police brutality in recent years.
In a dramatic reversal of the typical opacity surrounding extrajudicial killings, the Force Public Relations Officer, DCP Anthony Okon Placid, announced on Wednesday that a disciplinary committee had found that ASP Nuhu Usman acted in “gross violation” of Force Order 237—the strict protocol governing when an officer may legally discharge a weapon.
The shooting occurred three days ago, on April 26, during an alleged stop-and-search operation. Witness accounts, which the Force investigation appears to have substantiated, indicate that Mr. Ogidi was unarmed and posed no immediate threat to the officers when ASP Usman opened fire. He died at the scene.
Within 48 hours of the incident, the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Olatunji Rilwan Disu, took the rare step of withdrawing the entire unit from Delta State and transferring them to Abuja for an “expedited” internal trial. That process concluded late Tuesday.
“No uniform confers the right to take life outside the provisions of the law,” IGP Disu said in a statement accompanying the verdict.
“Any officer who violates this fundamental principle will face the full weight of disciplinary and legal consequences.”
The ruling, however, is not yet final. The dismissal of ASP Usman and his co-accused has been forwarded to the Police Service Commission (PSC) for ratification, a procedural hurdle that has, in the past, delayed or softened internal police verdicts.
The Force has assured the public that ratification is a formality and that the officers will subsequently be handed over to the judiciary for criminal trial on homicide charges.
The Force has extended its condolences to the family of Mr. Ogidi, who is survived by a wife and two young children. IGP Disu personally assured them that “justice will not only be served but seen to be served.”
As of press time, ASP Usman and the other officers remain in custody at Force Headquarters awaiting the PSC’s decision.
The Nigeria Police Force has urged calm in Effurun, where protests briefly flared following the shooting but have since subsided.
Yes o, alot of these officers, should be dismissed to server as scapegoats
Well done IGP