December 24, 2025 | News | SUNTV Global Channel
A Nigerian man, Somto Okonkwo, has accused officers of the Nigeria Police Force operating in plain clothes of assault, illegal detention and reckless conduct that allegedly led to the destruction of his brand-new vehicle in Abia State.
Okonkwo made the allegations public in a detailed statement posted on X (formerly Twitter) on Wednesday, where he shared photos and videos of individuals he identified as the police officers involved in the incident.
According to him, the officers—who were not in uniform—forcefully took control of his vehicle with his family inside and later crashed it while driving recklessly.
“These are the faces of some of the officers who completely destroyed my brand-new car with my family inside,” Okonkwo wrote.
He raised serious concerns about the officers’ appearance and conduct, questioning their legitimacy. “Look at how they’re dressed. How can people dressed like this claim to be police officers, assault civilians, seize phones, and force someone into their car?” he asked.
Okonkwo stressed that officers of the Nigeria Police Force are required to be properly identified, either in official uniform or clearly marked attire, and to follow due process at all times. He warned that the officers’ conduct reflected “lawlessness, possible impersonation, or gross misconduct.”
“This kind of dressing puts citizens at serious risk,” he said. “Anyone could be kidnapped or harmed under the excuse of ‘police work.’”
Giving a timeline of events, Okonkwo alleged that the incident occurred on Tuesday at about 3:00 p.m., when he was “illegally detained and assaulted” by the officers. He claimed he was forcefully taken from Aba to Umuahia against his will, while his mobile phone was seized to prevent him from calling for help.
The situation, he said, became life-threatening during the journey. According to Okonkwo, one of the officers drove his vehicle recklessly, dangerously overtaking a police bus.
“That reckless action led to a serious accident,” he stated. “The car lost control, spun, and crashed into the bush.”
He said the vehicle was badly damaged, describing the entire episode as “completely unacceptable,” “a clear abuse of power,” and “a gross violation of my fundamental rights.”
Okonkwo called on the Abia State Government to immediately investigate the incident, ensure the officers involved are held fully accountable, take responsibility for the damage to his vehicle, and address what he described as a clear case of police brutality and misconduct.
“No citizen should be treated this way. Abuse of power must stop,” he said, urging members of the public to share his story to ensure justice is served.
Reacting to the allegations, the Police Complaint Response Unit (CRU) of the Nigeria Police Force acknowledged the case via its official X account. The unit described the alleged incident as unacceptable and requested further details from the complainant.
“This is unacceptable and should not have happened to you or any other Nigerian under any guise,” the CRU wrote. “Kindly avail this unit more details including your contact via our DM. Thank you for contacting NPF-CRU.”
As of the time of filing this report, the Abia State Police Command had not issued an official statement on the matter.
