Seven police officers from the Imo State Police Command have been discharged after being found guilty of acts such as police brutality, harassment, extortion, illegal phone tapping, and flagrant disobedience to the Inspector-General of Police's instructions about extortion and rudeness toward members of the public.
Former officers have also been charged in court, according to a statement from the Command's spokesperson, Mike Abattam. He named them in the following order: Ohakim Chibuzo, F/No. 462315 Sgt., Irome Finian, F/No. 505455, George Osueke, F/No. 505592 Sgt., Kelechi Onuegbu, F/No. 511966 Cpl., Nwagoro Isdore, F/No. 528165 PC, and Ihemtuge Plastidus, F/No. 528156 PC.
He continued by saying that on November 8, 2022, the former police officers were detained at a bank in Umuahia, Abia State, for allegedly extorting money from a victim and indulging in unlawful acts outside of their jurisdiction.
According to the police spokesman, the suspects were charged at the Owerri Magistrate Court with the offences specified on Charge Sheet No. OW/746C/2022 after being found guilty during a disciplinary hearing.
Abattam stated that all department heads, divisional police officers, and tactical team commanders had received instructions from the state's police commissioner to make sure that their subordinates were warned against engaging in shady practises and that any police officer found to be complicit would face disciplinary actions.
He also gave instructions to the leaders of the Monitoring Unit, which reports to the Commissioner of Police, and the X-Squad Unit, which reports to the Inspector-General of Police, to start a thorough investigation into police personnel throughout the city.