By: Sunday Ameh
A man identified as Newton Isokpehi, who claimed to be a serving police officer with 26 years of service, has sparked outrage after threatening to shoot anyone who records him while on duty.
Isokpehi made the remarks in a viral video circulated on social media on Wednesday, where he issued threats against members of the public and any superior officer allegedly responsible for directing civilians to film police personnel during operations.
The officer, who spoke in Pidgin English, also warned that anyone attempting to record him while carrying out his duties could face deadly consequences.
“Any day I’m on duty as a police officer carrying my rifle and doing my job, let somebody come and video me. That oga who gave you people the order to video us, he will go and do your burial,” he said.
“The number of you that I kill, he will be the one to bury all of you.”
Our correspondent gathered that the video was posted on a TikTok account identified as “Newton isokpehi for life” with the username #actor459, where several videos of the man in police uniform and personal content were uploaded.
Although the controversial video was later deleted, the account remained active as of the time of filing this report.
The authenticity of Isokpehi’s claim of being an active officer of the Nigeria Police Force could not be independently verified.
In another part of the video, he challenged members of the public to approach him with cameras while on duty.
“I have served in the Nigerian Police Force for twenty-six years. If anyone is bold enough, bring your camera and come anywhere I am. If you don’t do it right, I will clear everybody down, the whole bus, everybody around,” he said.
He also directed strong words at any senior officer alleged to have encouraged members of the public to film police officers while on duty.
During the recording, Isokpehi displayed scars on his arm, which he claimed were bullet wounds sustained during years of service, lamenting poor welfare conditions faced by officers.
“You think I was born like this? This is a gunshot wound,” he said while pointing to his arm.
He, however, acknowledged efforts by the current Inspector-General of Police toward addressing unpaid insurance and benefits for officers and their families.
The video, which carried the inscription “God bless police,” has since generated widespread condemnation online, with many social media users describing the comments as unprofessional and dangerous.
As of press time, the Nigeria Police Force had yet to issue an official statement on the incident.
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