Police arrest scores in Rivers community over flogging of officer

By Davies Iheamnachor

PORT HARCOURT: Police operatives from the Rivers State Command have invaded Nkpolu Community in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of the state and arrested scores of youths, women and men.

The development follows reports of youths of Nkpolu, who were on “No Drug Abuse” campaign, flogging a policeman, and two others who were allegedly caught using illicit drug.

The fierce looking policemen had stormed the community, Tuesday, around 4:00pm with about eight vans.

The gallant police men who had arrived the community on orders from the hierarchies were led by the cop, Joshua Nyian, who was reportedly caught taking the illicit drug and flogged in the community.

But, the police in the state said Nyian reported a case of assault and Stealing by youths of Nkpolu.

The Public Relations Officer of the Command, Grace Iringe-Koko, a Superintendent of Police, in a statement in Port Harcourt, preceding the invasion of the community, noted that the police officer was assaulted.

She said: “On 24th August 2025 at about 1:40 p.m., one Inspector of Police , Joshua Nyian, attached to Woji Division, reported a case of assault and stealing.

“According to the report, at about 10:20 a.m. on the same date, while returning from work, the officer stopped at Nkpolu to see his woman friend, who is pregnant for him. He was suddenly accosted by the Nkpolu Youth President, the Community Chairman, and about twenty youths. They allegedly assaulted him by beating him up, dragged him to the main road, seized his police identity card and phone, recorded him on video, and forcefully collected the sum of seventy-eight thousand naira (₦78,000) from him.

“The officer further alleged that the Youth President has been making advances to his woman friend, which may have prompted the attack.

“The officer’s statement was voluntarily recorded, and a medical form was issued to him for treatment. Frantic efforts are ongoing for the youth president with others involved to come forward with their evidence.”

It would be recalled that Nyang, a policeman serving in Rivers State, was caught by the youths of the community, who had declared ‘No Drug Abuse” campaign in their area.

The youths lead by their chairman, Comrade Owhondah Chamberlain, had vowed to stamp out drug abuse in their community, noting that the menace was triggering criminality.

Before the police invasion of the community for mass arrest, Chamberlain had noted that the campaign was not targeted at anyone, but that it was aimed at saving youths from drug use.

He noted that the Nigeria Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, was aware of the effort, adding that all the drug sellers arrested have been handed over to the Drug Agency.

He stated that the youths did not know that a policeman was among the drug users they caught, adding that he was not in police uniform when they meet him and others taking the hard substance.

He said: “We started this drug war in our community, because drug is destroying our feature leaders. We petitioned to the NDLEA, they are giving us their support. All the drug sellers we have arrested, they are in their custody.

“We did not know that a policeman was among the people we caught, because he was not putting on police uniform. It was when we were interrogating them that we found out.

‘If he (Nyian) is denying that he is not into drug, he should be taken for drug test to check his innocence. He caught him and others taking drugs, why we have already warned sellers and user to stear clear of our Nkpolu. We did not take money from him. Police can go to the bank to check if he send any N78,000 to me or the youth body.”

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