No, it wasn’t a spur-of-the-moment action. ASP Usman Nuhu of the Nigeria Police Force came to the Benin Motor Park along the Warri–Sapele Expressway in Effurun, Delta State, with an intention to kill—pure and simple. Usman led a team of policemen from the Effurun Area Command to the motor park following the detention of a man by members of a transport union who had allegedly attempted to waybill a parcel containing a Beretta pistol with four rounds of ammunition.
After the suspect, Mene Ogidi, was handed over to Usman, he carried out the summary execution of the hapless 28-year-old man, who posed no danger in any way or form to the arresting party. They cut short the life of a young Nigerian in broad daylight for no justifiable reason. Effurun, Delta State, witnessed a horrendous crime against humanity on Sunday, April 26, 2026. The victim was not killed; he was summarily executed—murdered in cold blood.
Visiting a suspect with summary execution is a horrendous crime against humanity. And it wasn’t done by a momentary mob baying for blood, but by one of the people paid by the state to safeguard lives and ensure law and order. Indeed, this killing—of course, not the first of its kind, but notable for its cold-blooded execution and wanton disregard for human life—diminishes our common humanity. The content of the video, recorded by a bystander, is distressing and traumatizing. The executioner ignored the pleas of the young man and carried out the dastardly act with chilling audacity.
The ASP left no one in doubt about his affiliation. He executed a patrol van bearing the full insignia of the Nigeria Police Force. The audacity of his impunity is beyond belief, and no doubt renders the Police vicariously liable for his unethical and condemnable action. But for the recording, the execution-style murder of Mene Ogidi would have been treated as another death of a suspect in custody, likely shrouded in mystery.
The Police High Command, through Anthony Placid, the Force Public Relations Officer, acknowledged that their officer overreached himself and breached the law. According to Commissioner Placid:
“Preliminary reports indicate that operatives attached to the Effurun Area Command responded to credible information from Benin Motor Park along the Warri–Sapele Expressway regarding a suspect apprehended by members of a transport union while attempting to waybill a parcel containing a Beretta pistol with four rounds of ammunition. 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.”
Therefore, what happened in Effurun on Sunday, April 26, 2026, should not be swept under the carpet. Beyond ensuring that the man who pulled the trigger faces the full weight of the law, other accomplices—the members of the team—should not be spared. There is a general suspicion that the executioner may have had prior knowledge relating to the case and sought to permanently silence the suspect, or that such wanton execution of suspects had become routine for him.
The Police High Command should carry out a thorough probe of the team to determine their past modus operandi. Some members of the public are already coming forward with allegations of misconduct in places where ASP Usman had previously served. These claims should be investigated to determine levels of complicity and any failure to act on earlier infractions.
This is also an opportunity for IGP Tunji Disu to demonstrate his commitment to building a police force with zero tolerance for impunity and acts such as the one carried out in Delta State. There is a need for reorientation among officers and men of the Nigeria Police Force toward humane, law-based policing. However, the foundation must be laid at the Police Academy and training colleges. New recruits must be taught the sanctity of human life and proper engagement with the public—that the weapons they carry are for protection, not for unlawful killing.
The committee set up by the IGP to review existing policing models—assessing community security needs, recruitment, training standards, resource allocation, and accountability mechanisms—must expedite its work. This is necessary to ensure that the IGP’s declaration that “the days of impunity are over” does not remain mere rhetoric. The badge and uniform must truly symbolize public trust, and violations must attract consequences.
IGP Tunji Disu must go beyond issuing directives, as he did after his inauguration, and ensure that senior officers lead by example, enforce discipline decisively, and uphold the highest ethical and professional standards across all ranks.
His promise to strengthen and revitalize internal accountability mechanisms, including the Complaints Response Unit and the X-Squad, must become an immediate priority for the police management team.
Officers like ASP Usman Nuhu should be shown the way out of the force to prevent further damage to the image of the Police and the Nigerian state, and to avoid a recurrence of the tragic episode in Effurun.
Adebanjo, former Head, Newsroom, TELL Magazine, sent this piece via obanijesu@yahoo.com.
