- The incident occurred late on Tuesday
The Anambra State Police Command announced that it has identified the officers allegedly involved in a viral video of phone theft in Otuocha Local Government Area.
In a video that circulated on social media on Wednesday, a resident described how police officers from the Otuocha Police Division invaded homes and forcefully took mobile phones that were being charged.
The resident, who narrated the events in the video, said that heavily armed officers entered the homes in a commando-like style, unplugged the phones from sockets one by one, and took them away without explanation.
According to the resident, the incident occurred late on Tuesday, with an undisclosed number of phones taken.
The resident pleaded with the state police authorities to investigate the situation and return the phones to their owners.
In protest, community residents blocked a major express road, demanding action against the officers.
The incident has sparked various reactions, with residents calling for a probe into the police officers’ actions.
Ikenga urged victims whose phones were taken to come forward to assist in the investigation.
He said, “Anambra State Police Command has intercepted a video of a protest against police action and wishes to state that the police team and the officers mentioned in the video have been identified.
“The Command also invites the victims to come forward to help facilitate the necessary action involved in the investigation.
“To this end, the Commissioner of Police, CP Nnaghe Obono Itam, calls for calm and urges citizens to utilise the channels of the complaint against police officers rather than being unruly as seen in the video blocking the express road, thereby infringing on the fundamental rights of others which is the very course citizens want to protect.
“We seek for Police that is civil and professional in discharging their duties. Aggrieved residents should make use of police complaint channels to express any grievances.
“These channels include the CP Monitoring Unit of Command CMU, the Police X-Squad under the State Criminal Investigation Department Police Complaints Bureau or the newly resuscitated Complaint Response Unit under the Police Public Relations Department Awka.
“You can call the Command Control Room at 07039194332 or the Police Public Relations Officer at 08039334002 in the event of any distress. Also download the ‘NPF Rescue Me App’, usable on Android and Apple iOS phones, to make reports. Further details shall be communicated, please.”