Police officers captured in a viral video allegedly assaulting a student of Abia State University have been arrested, disarmed and detained by the Nigeria Police Force.

The development was disclosed by the Complaint Response Unit (CRU) of the police in a post shared on X.

The incident followed allegations by an ABSU student, identified on X as @BuddyJnrrr, who accused the officers of harassing and assaulting him after questioning him over the ownership of his three mobile phones.

According to the student, the incident occurred on Saturday, May 9, while he, his brother and other passengers were travelling in a commercial vehicle.

Narrating his ordeal, the student alleged that the officers ordered him to step out of the vehicle before interrogating another passenger aggressively about his source of livelihood.

He further claimed that the officers later turned their attention to him and questioned why he possessed three phones. Despite explaining that he was a student and had purchased the phones legitimately, the officers allegedly dragged him, his brother and another passenger into a nearby bush where they were assaulted.

The student alleged that more officers later joined in beating them, adding that he and his brother sustained injuries during the incident. He also claimed the officers threatened to kill them.

A video clip of the incident, which surfaced online, sparked outrage on social media.

Reacting to the development, the Police CRU stated that the officers involved, allegedly attached to the Uturu Division, had been identified, disarmed and detained.

Also responding to the incident, the Abia State Police Command said the Commissioner of Police, Danladi Isa, had ordered an investigation into the conduct of the officers.

The command’s spokesperson, Maureen Chioma Chinaka, disclosed in a statement that the affected officers had been referred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) for appropriate administrative action.

“The public will be duly updated on the outcome of the police action accordingly,” the statement read.

Chinaka added that the commissioner of police reaffirmed the command’s commitment to professionalism, discipline and civility in dealing with members of the public.

She also warned that acts of misconduct and impunity by police officers would not be tolerated by the command.