Call for DPO’s prosecution over viral video involving court bailiffs is premature and unfair

Calls for the prosecution of the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) over a viral video involving court bailiffs and police operatives during an alleged enforcement of a court order amount to an unfair and premature judgment, particularly when the full circumstances leading to the incident have not been established.

While the conduct of police officers must always be subjected to scrutiny where allegations of misconduct arise, it is equally important that the conduct and actions of the court bailiffs and other persons involved immediately before the video recording commenced are also examined.

A short video clip, particularly one that captures only a portion of an incident, may not provide the complete context of what transpired before the recording began. The events that led to the confrontation, the reason for the police intervention, the conduct of the parties at the scene, and the specific circumstances under which the police officers responded must all be considered before assigning blame or recommending prosecution.

The police were reportedly responding to a distress situation involving a rowdy scene within the area of jurisdiction of the division. Therefore, the circumstances that prompted the officers’ intervention should not be disregarded simply because a video was subsequently recorded and circulated on social media.

The appropriate approach is to allow a transparent and impartial investigation to establish the sequence of events, determine the conduct of all parties involved, and ascertain whether any officer or other person breached the law or professional standards.

Anambra Police Command under the leadership of the CP Nnanna Oji Ama psc mnips has demonstrated recently especially on querying of a DPO over the unprofessional act of the officers, does not support misconduct, abuse of power or unprofessional conduct by its personnel.

However, accountability must be based on facts and evidence, not on a one-sided narrative or a viral video that may not capture the events leading to the confrontation.

It is therefore necessary to balance the narrative by examining the actions and attitude of all parties before and during the incident, including what occurred before the court bailiffs commenced video recording.