A police officer in Delta State has been arrested after a video circulated widely on social media showing him shooting dead a handcuffed and pleading suspect at close range — first at the scene of his arrest, and again at a police station.
The victim, Mene Ogidi, 28, was killed on Sunday, 26 April 2026, in Effurun, Delta State. He had gone to the Benin Motor Park along the Warri–Sapele Expressway to collect a waybill on behalf of a friend when park workers, suspicious of the parcel’s weight, compelled him to open it. Inside was a Beretta pistol loaded with four rounds of ammunition. Park officials restrained Ogidi, who pleaded that he had been deceived by the friend who asked him to collect the package and offered to lead authorities to him. They contacted ACP Aliyu Shaba of the Uvwie Area Command, who dispatched a patrol team headed by ASP Nuhu Usman — known locally as “Ogbegbe” — to bring the suspect in.
According to eyewitness accounts, Usman arrived at the park, and upon seeing the pistol, fired at Ogidi’s hand in front of the crowd. His team then loaded the wounded, still-conscious Ogidi into a Toyota Sienna vehicle marked “Nigeria Police Force, Effurun Area Command, Uvwie.” Rather than reporting to ACP Shaba upon arrival at Ekpan station, Usman pulled Ogidi from the vehicle in the car park and shot him three more times, killing him.
ACP Shaba, who heard the gunshots, rushed to the scene, ordered Usman tactically disarmed, had him handcuffed and his legs chained, and detained the entire team.
The incident became national news after a video of the initial shooting — showing Ogidi seated on the ground with his hands tied behind his back, begging for his life in Pidgin English — went viral. In the footage, Ogidi can be heard telling officers that a friend in Sapele had sent him and that he would lead them there. Moments later, a plain-clothes officer cocks his rifle and fires.
The Delta State Police Command confirmed the arrest of Usman in a statement issued Tuesday by spokesperson Bright Edafe. The Force Public Relations Officer, DCP Anthony Okon Placid, subsequently issued a formal statement condemning the shooting. “While efforts were being made to take the suspect into lawful custody, the team leader, ASP Nuhu Usman, discharged his firearm in clear violation of extant regulations, resulting in the death of the suspect,” Placid said.
The Inspector-General of Police has ordered the immediate transfer of Usman and his team to Force Headquarters in Abuja, where they will face the Force Disciplinary Committee for summary disciplinary measures and possible prosecution. “The Inspector-General of Police extends his condolences to the family of the deceased and assures them that justice will be served in accordance with the law,” Placid added. “The Nigeria Police Force maintains a zero-tolerance stance on extra-judicial actions, abuse of authority, and any conduct that undermines public trust.”
The killing has prompted widespread public outrage, with many Nigerians calling for murder charges to be brought against the officer. The case is expected to proceed to a formal parade and prosecution within days.
