From Tony John, Port Harcourt
Recently, a viral video stirred reactions in Rivers State after a police officer and two civilians were caught and flogged by community youths in Nkpolu, Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of the state, for alleged drug abuse.
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The clip showed the three suspected drug addicts being flogged, while community members taunted, “Officer, Say No to Drug Abuse.” The policeman was later identified as Joshua Nyian of Woji Police Division.
Eyewitnesses said youths enforcing a community campaign against drug abuse apprehended the three during a raid. Nkpolu youth president, Owhonda Chamberlain, said the neighbourhood has been waging a crackdown, tagged “Operation No Drugs.”
He said: “We have discovered that some of our children do not have homes anymore. The property their parents struggled to build and left for them, they are selling them to take drugs.”
A few hours after the viral video surfaced, the state police command opened up on the alleged assault on Nyian, who was discovered to be an inspector. Spokesperson for the Rivers Police Command, Grace Iringe-Koko, a superintendent of police, in a statement issued in Port Harcourt, disclosed that, on August 24, 2025, “at about 1:40 p.m., one Inspector of Police , Joshua Nyian, attached to Woji Division, reported a case of assault and stealing.”
Iringe-Koko stated that, 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 20 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 (N78,000) from him.
“The officer further alleged that the youth president has been making advances at 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,” Iringe-Koko said.
She added that efforts were ongoing for the youth president with others involved to come forward with their evidence.
The spokesperson, in the statement, disclosed that the command has assured members of the public that justice would be served and urged community leaders to caution their youths against taking the law into their hands.
Meanwhile, Chamberlain said the youths had vowed to stamp out drug abuse in their community, noting that the menace was triggering criminality.
Before the police invasion of the community later for mass arrests, Chamberlain had noted that the campaign was not targeted at anyone but was aimed at saving youths from drug use.
He noted that the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) was aware of their efforts, 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 met him and others taking the hard substance.
He said: “We started this drug war in our community because drugs are destroying our future leaders. We petitioned the NDLEA, and 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. We caught him and others taking drugs, while we have already warned sellers and users to steer clear of our Nkpolu. We did not take money from him. Police can go to the bank to check if he sent any N78,000 to me or the youth body.”
The youth president accused the policeman of lying against the community youths, stressing that they did not know that Nyian was a police officer until he identified himself.
He further said: “This statement (PPRO’s statement) is fallacy. It is a total lie. The police officer is trying to look for a way to absolve himself.
“I am an Nkpolu man. The girl he is claiming is from my own family. Can I marry my family sister? The girl is less than 15 years of age.
“In fact, it would be a shame that such a policeman between 45 and 50 years of age would be associating himself with a girl of 14 to 15 years.
“The police officer also claimed that I forcefully asked him to transfer N78,000 to my account. I can present my statement of account to confirm if there is any such transfer. How can I be befriending my own sister? And the girl is not pregnant.
“This policeman is a bad egg in Nigeria Police Force. The Inspector General of Police I know, IGP Kayode Egbetokun, is a good officer; he should call this officer to order before he destroys the image of police further.”
He reiterated the stance of Nkpolu youths to sanitize the community from drug abuse and consumption because of its dangerous consequences on society and health of persons indulging in it.
Chamberlain said: “Nkpolu community has the legacy of not harbouring crime. In this recent time, we have discovered that one of the major problems of youth exuberance is drug abuse.
“So, the community, after some meetings with stakeholders and youths, collectively decided to carry out a selfless campaign, tagged Operation Say Know to Drugs.
“In fact, illicit drugs have damaged not only the physical appearance of our youths but also the mental health of our children. This is why we stood up because we discovered that the law enforcement agencies were trying their best.
“The community is supposed to be the right people to help security agencies curb this problem.”
Some of the natives who spoke under the condition of anonymity threatened to take up the matter to a higher authority, accusing Nyian of indulging in child abuse.
One of them declared: “We want to take up the matter against that policeman because it is child abuse. The girl is not up to 18 years old, and he is telling the world that he impregnated her. We shall know where it would lead us because we are all educated people.
“What I am telling you now is that, where that man was caught is not where the girl resides. The man was caught right inside the place we said ‘no to drugs’. That is where he was caught alongside two other culprits and they were all flogged together.”
They maintained their resolve to sanitize Nkpolu community, so that the youths could be useful to themselves and the society.
Meanwhile, fierce-looking policemen from the state command stormed the community on Tuesday, around 4p.m., in eight vans. The policemen, it was gathered, arrived at the community on orders from above.
They were led by Inspector Joshua Nyian, who was reportedly caught taking illicit drugs and flogged in the community.
The police operatives, it was further learnt, stormed the community and arrested scores of youths, women and men.
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