A man, Newton Isokpehi who identified himself as a serving police officer with 26 years of service has threatened to shoot dead anyone who records him while on duty, in a video.

In a clip that went viral on social media on Wednesday, Isokpehi spoke, issuing graphic threats against members of the public and any superior officer he believed had sanctioned the filming of officers on duty.

He delivered his threats in Pidgin English, after which our correspondent translated his statements into standard English.

Our correspondent traced Isokpehi’s TikTok account, bearing the name “Newton isokpehi for life” and the username #actor459, where he had posted several videos of himself in police uniform alongside personal content.

The video at the centre of the controversy was subsequently deleted from the page, though the account remained active as of the time of filing this report, with earlier posts of him in uniform still visible.

The PUNCH could not independently verify whether Isokpehi is a serving member of the Nigerian Police Force.

“Any day I’m on duty as a police officer, carrying my rifle and doing my job, let somebody come and video me. That oga who gave you people the order to video us, he will go and do your burial. He will bury you. The number of you that I kill, he will be the one to bury all of you,”

He went further, daring anyone to approach him with a camera while on duty.

“I have served in the Nigerian Police Force for twenty-six years in this place where we are suffering. We suffer every single day, every time.

“If anyone is bold enough, just bring your camera. Watch me properly, bring your camera and come anywhere I am. Come and video me. If you don’t do it right, I will clear everybody down, the whole bus, everybody around. I swear to God, if I don’t do it, let me die,” he said.

He also directed explicit threats at any officer who had ordered members of the public to film police on duty.

“That oga, that police officer who gave the order for people to video policemen on duty, oya, I will deal with you all harshly. You will see serious wahala, you will see problem. Problem will destroy your generation,” he said.

During the video, Isokpehi displayed what he described as bullet wounds on his arm, citing them as evidence of the hardship officers endure without adequate welfare support.

“You think I was born like this? This is a gunshot wound,” he said, pointing to his arm.

“We are just working. Monkey dey work, baboon dey chop. My whole body is covered with bullet wounds and gunshot scars. Yet I’m still suffering,” he said

He acknowledged, however, that the current Inspector General of Police had begun addressing the backlog of unpaid insurance and death benefits owed to officers and their families.

“Look at families whose fathers died many years ago. Since this IG assumed office, he has started releasing their insurance and benefits,” he said.

The video, shot in a direct-to-camera format with an ironic “God bless police” text overlay, has since gone viral on several social media platforms.

Public reaction was swift and condemnatory, with users describing the officer’s conduct as dangerous, unprofessional, and emblematic of bad elements within the force.

The Nigeria Police Force had not issued an official statement as of press time. (PUNCH)

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