Reported by Ariajegbe Sylvia Esezobor
The Cross River State Police Command has issued a firm warning against the assault, obstruction and violent resistance of officers carrying out lawful duties, citing a fine of N500,000, six months imprisonment, or both as the penalty under Section 98 of the Police Act 2020.
The Police Public Relations Officer, Sunday Eitokpah, made the call on Thursday in Calabar, expressing concern over what he described as increasing cases of assault, obstruction and violent resistance against officers on duty. He said such acts undermine not just the officer but the authority of the state. "Every day, police officers leave their homes to respond to emergencies, prevent crime, protect lives and property, maintain public order and enforce the law," Eitokpah said. "Yet, increasingly, there are disturbing instances in which officers are assaulted, obstructed or violently resisted while carrying out their duties."
The warning came as the Command prepared to arraign four suspects on Friday for allegedly assaulting a police constable, tearing his uniform and forcibly seizing his rifle and motorcycle at Watt Market in Calabar. The suspects are Emem Asuquo, 40; Aniema Nelson, 40; Idara Bassey Sunday, 28; and Mercy Edet, 44. The police initially arrested 60 persons in connection with the attack before narrowing the screening to four following intelligence and identification by the assaulted officer.
According to the Command, the incident occurred on September 15 at about 3:30 p.m. when a concerned member of the public alerted officers that a policeman was being attacked around Goldie by Etim Edem Lane, near Watt Market. A patrol team from Atakpa Division was mobilized and rescued the constable. In his account, the officer said he was proceeding from his office through Goldie by Bedwell Junction to join his team members when he attempted to impound a motorcycle whose rider had earlier stepped on his leg while he was on duty on September 11, after which the rider escaped. He said when he attempted to apprehend the same rider again on September 15, he was confronted and attacked by some roadside traders who aided the rider. The officer alleged that his riot gun was tampered with, his police uniform and shoes were torn, his Samsung X10 phone was seized, while pepper and egg were poured on his face and body. His attackers also forcibly took the motorcycle from him, enabling the rider to escape.
The incident was captured in a viral video circulating on social media which claimed that market women held the police officer following a chase involving a suspected internet fraudster during which a trader's goods were scattered. The Police Command debunked the narrative, describing it as misleading. Following the report, the Commissioner of Police, Ajo Geoffrey Ordue, directed urgent intelligence gathering and arrest of all culpable persons. On September 16 at about 10:45 a.m., patrol and surveillance teams at Atakpa Division were reinforced by operatives of the Violence Crime Response Unit, leading to the arrest of 60 suspects in the area for screening and interrogation. After screening, four women were identified as directly linked to the assault.
Eitokpah reminded the public that respect for the police must not be confused with immunity from accountability. He urged citizens to report misconduct, seek legal redress if an arrest is believed to be unlawful, and pursue genuine complaints through appropriate channels rather than resorting to violence. "Where a police officer is alleged to have acted unlawfully, abused his powers or violated the rights of a citizen, the appropriate response is to report the matter and pursue lawful redress through appropriate channels such as the National Human Rights Commission," he said. He stressed that neither any citizen nor police officer is above the law, calling for a balance where citizens understand that disagreement with an officer does not justify violence, while officers must act professionally and with respect for human dignity. "We must, therefore, resist two dangerous extremes: the idea that every police action should be accepted without question, and the equally dangerous idea that frustration with the police justifies attacking officers. Neither serves justice," he added.
The Watt Market incident is the latest in a series of violent confrontations involving law enforcement personnel in Cross River State. On May 25, a commercial minibus driver, Godwin Ukpai Okobo, was accused of stabbing a Traffic Management and Regulatory Agency officer, Aniefiok Ekerete Okon, in the chest with a screwdriver during a routine traffic enforcement operation in Calabar South. The officer was unarmed and dressed in official uniform at the time. The suspect was subsequently arrested and the Command condemned the killing, saying attacks on enforcement officers pose a serious threat to public safety, law and order. In February, three officers were injured when suspects resisted arrest and mobilized youths to attack a police team in Obanliku Local Government Area. The Command said an internal investigation was commenced and stressed that no police officer is above the law.
The broader national context reflects a concerning trend of violence against security personnel. In August, ten Nigerian police officers were killed in a gunbattle with rebels in the country's conflict-battered north. In January, three police officers were killed and two others wounded in an ambush by armed gang members on a patrol in Katsina State. In Osun State, a police patrol team was ambushed along the Ibadan-Ife Expressway in August, leaving two civilians dead and two officers seriously injured, while assailants made off with service rifles. In Rivers State, three officers were attacked in June in what police described as a commando-style assault, with the assailants fleeing with their rifles.
Eitokpah charged police officers to see every encounter with citizens as an opportunity to strengthen public confidence, noting that the uniform demands discipline and the badge demands responsibility. "Ultimately, the protection of police officers and the protection of citizens are not opposing causes," he said. "They are part of the same objective: a society governed by law rather than force." The Command said normalcy has been restored at Watt Market while security monitoring continues, adding that it appreciates the member of the public whose timely alert led to the rescue of the officer. It urged members of the public to rely on verified information and avoid drawing conclusions from incomplete or misleading narratives circulating online, adding that further developments would be communicated to the public.
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