Some Nigerians have slammed the Delta State Police Command for covering the face of a police officer, ASP Nuhu Usman, who was identified and arrested in connection with the killing of a 28-year-old suspect, Mene Ogidi, in Effurun, an incident captured in a viral video. The video that went viral……
Some Nigerians have slammed the Delta State Police Command for covering the face of a police officer, ASP Nuhu Usman, who was identified and arrested in connection with the killing of a 28-year-old suspect, Mene Ogidi, in Effurun, an incident captured in a viral video.
The video that went viral on Tuesday showed police officers arresting and tying up the suspect, who was seen pleading with them before one of the officers fired a shot.
The incident, which, according to reports, occurred on April 26, 2026, has drawn condemnation from the Commissioner of Police in the state, CP Yemi Oyeniyi, who described the act as a clear violation of established rules and procedures guiding police operations.
In Nigeria, the practice of parading suspects and publicly displaying their faces before trial is considered unconstitutional based on a combined interpretation of several sections of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended).
Checks by TVC News indicated that Section 36(5) said, “Every person who is charged with a criminal offence shall be presumed to be innocent until he is proved guilty; Provided that nothing in this section shall invalidate any law by reason only that the law imposes upon any such person the burden of proving particular facts.”
Section 34(1), which speaks on the Right to Dignity of Human Person, said, “Every individual is entitled to respect for the dignity of his person, and accordingly (a) no person shall be subject to torture or to inhuman or degrading treatment.”
In a statement by the Command’s Spokesperson, Bright Edafe, on Tuesday, the Command said the deceased was earlier apprehended by members of the public while allegedly attempting to waybill a parcel containing a Beretta pistol loaded with four rounds of ammunition.
According to the statement, the Delta Command identified the officer, but accompanied the statement with a photograph of the officer whose face was covered.
In the statement, the police revealed that the officer identified as ASP Usman, who led the team, reportedly discharged his firearm in breach of Force Order 237 and the Nigeria Police Force Standard Operating Procedure, resulting in the suspect’s death.
Following the incident, the Commissioner of Police, Yemi Oyeniyi, ordered the immediate arrest of the officer and his transfer to the State Headquarters in Asaba for preliminary investigation.
CP Oyeniyi described the act as a clear violation of established rules and procedures guiding police operations.
However, Nigerians reacted to the manner in which the Command presented the officer’s identity, insisting the public deserved to know the officer behind the shooting and pointing to previous parades of suspects linked to killings.
Leading the protest, an X user identified as #Olusegun_amosu, questioned the motive behind covering the face of the officer involved, insisting that the suspect was recorded during the day.
He wrote, “You shouldn’t cover his face, he ‘kpaied’ someone in broad daylight, why hide his face. He must also be judged with no mercy. #endpolicebrutality.”
Another X user identified as #Amej_AJJO wrote, “Some one that killed somebody and you guys are covering his face lol.”
Another user, #jejudike1, insisted that the picture being paraded as the suspect is not ASP Usman Nuhu, noting that the man in the image appears to be an elderly man.
The user said, “It’s a big lie. This is not Usman Nuhu. Usman shot that guy, and he is with the CP monitoring unit under the leadership of DCP #Princemoye1… The person in this image is not Usman; he is an old person.”
Another X user identified as #DoshDaemon said, “Do not cover his face ooo…sentence him to death & televise it like you did this young man Jesus, u pour una spit for this country.”
#ibukun005 maintained that the police should not have covered the suspect’s face after he was recorded publicly carrying out the act.
#ibukun005 wrote, “Why was his face covered? We’ve already seen his face before & after killing a man begging for his life publicly. The Police want to shut him up for good, there’s something they’re trying to cover, why won’t they charge him to court? This policeman should be jailed for life.”
#dshuwifvg asked, “I think this is more of a promotion (because) tell me y’all are covering a murderer’s face????”
#Heritageherit3 lashed out, “Show the killer’s face. He is a criminal and should be treated as such.”
