Reported by: Oahimire Omone Precious | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
A police officer in civilian clothes calmly cocks his rifle, aims at a young man whose hands are bound behind his back with a rope, and fires. The man slumps. The officer shoots again. Colleagues nearby do not intervene; some chant and cheer. This is not a scene from a violent film. It is the final, recorded moment of 28‑year‑old Oghenemine Million Ogidi, an aspiring musician whose execution in broad daylight in Effurun, Delta State, on 26 April 2026 has pushed Nigeria’s long‑simmering crisis of police brutality back to the front pages.
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"Officer I Beg, I Go Tell You Everything" – Then He Was Shot in the Head While Handcuffed
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Delta Police PRO Says Officer's Killing of Handcuffed Suspect Is 'Beyond the Ordinary' as IGP Orders Murder Trial
The Delta State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Bright Edafe, has publicly admitted that his command has no rational explanation for why an Assistant Superintendent of Police, ASP Nuhu Usman, shot a handcuffed and clearly unarmed suspect to death on 26 April 2026. In a television interview on 29 April, Edafe described the incident as the most difficult moment of his six‑year career in public relations, conceding that “spirituality may not be far from it” because there is simply no logical reason for the officer's actions. “This is a very sad issue,” Edafe said on Channels TV’s Morning Brief. “Since my six years in public relations, this is my most difficult moment because having an incident that cannot be explained is very difficult. There is no explanation for this.”
The killing, which has ignited nationwide outrage, was captured in a graphic video that circulated rapidly on social media. The footage shows the victim identified as Mene Ogidi, also known as Oghenemine, sitting on the ground with his hands tied behind his back. He can be heard pleading in Pidgin English, “Officer I beg, I go tell you everything. Na my friend deceive me. E dey Sapele. I go carry you go the place.” He repeatedly offers to lead the officers to the person he claims actually sent the parcel. Despite his pleas and his obvious helplessness, an officer in plain clothes can be seen cocking his rifle and then shooting Ogidi multiple times. One bullet strikes his leg; seconds later, after reloading with ammunition handed to him by a colleague, the officer shoots Ogidi in the head at close range. The victim died at the scene.
The Delta State Police Command confirmed that Ogidi had been apprehended by members of a transport union at a motor park along the Warri‑Sapele Expressway on suspicion of attempting to use a waybill service to send a parcel allegedly containing a Beretta pistol with four rounds of ammunition. The police stated that operatives from the Effurun Area Command were deployed to take the suspect into custody. But once at the scene, ASP Nuhu Usman, who was leading the operation, “in clear violation of Force Order 237 and the Standard Operating Procedure of the Nigeria Police Force, discharged his firearm, leading to the death of the suspect,” according to the command’s statement.
The state Commissioner of Police, Yemi Oyeniyi, immediately ordered the arrest of Usman and his transfer to the State Headquarters in Asaba. He has since been moved to the Force Headquarters in Abuja, where he is to appear before the Force Disciplinary Committee for “immediate disciplinary sanction and prosecution.” Preliminary findings by the Force Headquarters established that the officer acted in clear violation of police operational regulations. The Inspector‑General of Police, Olatunji Disu, has directed that the officer be prosecuted for murder, and the Force Public Relations Officer, DCP Anthony Placid, assured the family of the deceased that justice would be served.
The Police Service Commission strongly condemned the extrajudicial killing, describing the incident as a grave violation of Nigerian laws and international humanitarian standards. The Commission vowed to ensure proper discipline. Senator Ede Dafinone, representing Delta Central, called for an urgent and transparent investigation, describing the act as “heinous” and a “reckless betrayal of public trust.” Amnesty International Nigeria demanded a prompt, thorough and transparent investigation, warning that “extrajudicial executions erode public trust and destabilise the foundation of a democratic society.” Lawyers Without Borders France also condemned the killing, calling for the prosecution of the officer involved.
Despite the official condemnation, the Delta Police PRO’s suggestion of a “spiritual” explanation has drawn fierce criticism. Human rights advocate Harrison Gwamnishu, who helped bring the video to public attention, dismissed the notion as “an insult to the family and a careless evasion of responsibility.” Social media users have demanded to know why other officers present at the scene did nothing to stop the shooting; some are heard in the video chanting “Ogbe gbe” after the lethal shots were fired. The family of the deceased has insisted that Ogidi was only sent to collect the package and was not given any opportunity to explain himself before he was shot. A relative has also alleged that Usman did not act alone and that other officers involved in the operation are being shielded from investigation.
The killing of Oghenemine Ogidi is not an isolated event but a symptom of a deeper systemic rot that has festered within Nigeria’s police force for decades. It echoes the brutality of the disbanded Special Anti‑Robbery Squad (SARS), whose excesses triggered the #EndSARS protests that shook the nation in 2020. Under the leadership of IGP Disu, tactical squads have been dissolved and a Violent Crime Response Unit established, but incidents like this suggest that the culture of impunity has not been fully dismantled. As Senator Dafinone noted, “When citizens begin to fear those entrusted with their protection, it signals a serious breakdown in governance and accountability.” For the family of Oghenemine Ogidi, the only justice that would make sense is a transparent trial and a conviction that sends a clear message: no police officer is above the law. But as the Delta PRO’s spiritual speculation shows, the struggle to hold the state’s armed agents accountable is far from over.
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