Police Killing Of Delta Youth Barbaric, Erodes Public Trust — Obi

Former Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has condemned the extrajudicial killing of a young Nigerian, Mene Ogidi, in Effurun, Delta State, describing the act as barbaric and a serious breach of the rule of law.

THE WHISTLER reports that a video showing the shooting of a suspect who had been restrained by a police officer attached to the Delta police command went viral on Tuesday.

In the less-than-two-minute video, the male suspect is seen sitting on the ground with his hands tied behind his back with a rope.

The suspect can be heard pleading with the police officers not to shoot him, saying he was deceived by a friend who is residing in the Sapele area of Delta state.

Crying, the suspect said he would take the officers to the friend’s house in Sapele.

“Officers, abeg, I go tell you everything. Na my friend deceived me. E dey Sapele. I go carry you go the place,” the suspect begged the officers in Pidgin English.

As the suspect was pleading with the officers, one of them, dressed in mufti, was seen cocking his rifle and then shooting directly at the suspect.

Immediately, the suspect lay on the group as passers-by watched the incident.

Afterwards, the police officers carried the body into a Toyota Sienna vehicle with the inscription: “The Nigeria Police Force Effurun Area Command, Uvwie”.

In a statement shared via his official Facebook page on Wednesday, Obi criticised the killing allegedly carried out by a police officer, ASP Nuhu Usman, warning that such incidents deepen fear and weaken citizens’ confidence in security institutions.

He stressed that modern society had evolved beyond an era where lives could be taken without accountability.

“Through the evolution of civilisation, a fundamental principle has emerged: no one should be punished or deprived of life without due process and a fair determination of guilt,” Obi said.

According to him, the incident not only inflicts severe trauma on the victim’s family but also compounds the psychological strain on Nigerians already grappling with widespread insecurity and repeated reports of violence across the country.

“incidents of this nature – especially when involving state actors – only worsen that psychological burden and erode public confidence in safety and security,” he said.

While acknowledging what he described as the prompt response by police authorities, he urged law enforcement agencies to ensure that justice is pursued transparently and without compromise.

He also called for stricter recruitment processes within security agencies, emphasising that only individuals with sound judgment and the right mental disposition should be entrusted with firearms.

The former Anambra state governor maintained that accountability and institutional reform were essential to restoring public trust and upholding justice, which he said remain critical to building a better Nigeria.