CITIZENS COMPASS—Operatives of the Rivers State Police Command on Tuesday, arrested some youths in Rivers State for flogging one of their offices for alleged drug offences.
The operatives stormed the Nkpolu Community, Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of the state to effect the arrest.
Citizens Compass reported that some youths in the community had flogged a policeman and two others over drug related offences.
The trio were allegedly caught using illicit drugs.
The fierce looking policemen had stormed the community, at about 4:00pm with about eight vans.
They were led by the cop, Joshua Nyian, who was reportedly caught taking the illicit drug and flogged in the community.
But, the police in the state said Nyian reported a case of assault and stealing by youths of Nkpolu.
Spokesperson for the Command, Grace Iringe-Koko, confirmed this in a statement. She said: “On 24th August 2025 at about 1:40 p.m., one Inspector of Police , Joshua Nyian, attached to Woji Division, reported a case of assault and stealing.
“According to the report, at about 10:20 a.m. on the same date, while returning from work, the officer stopped at Nkpolu to see his woman friend, who is pregnant with him. He was suddenly accosted by the Nkpolu Youth President, the Community Chairman, and about 20 youths. They allegedly assaulted him by beating him up, dragged him to the main road, seized his police identity card and phone, recorded him on video, and forcefully collected the sum of seventy-eight thousand naira (₦78,000) from him.
“The officer further alleged that the Youth President has been making advances to his woman friend, which may have prompted the attack.
“The officer’s statement was voluntarily recorded, and a medical form was issued to him for treatment. Frantic efforts are ongoing for the youth president with others involved to come forward with their evidence.”
It would be recalled that Nyang, a policeman serving in Rivers State, was caught by the youths of the community, who had declared ‘No Drug Abuse” campaign in their area.
The youths led by their chairman, Comrade Owhondah Chamberlain, had vowed to stamp out drug abuse in their community, noting that the menace was triggering criminality.
Before the police invasion of the community for mass arrest, Chamberlain had noted that the campaign was not targeted at anyone, but that it was aimed at saving youths from drug use.He noted that the Nigeria Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, was aware of the effort, adding that all the drug sellers arrested have been handed over to the Drug Agency.
He stated that the youths did not know that a policeman was among the drug users they caught, adding that he was not in police uniform when they met him and others taking the hard substance.
He said: “We started this drug war in our community, because drugs are destroying our feature leaders. We petitioned to the NDLEA, they are giving us their support. All the drug sellers we have arrested, they are in their custody.
“We did not know that a policeman was among the people we caught, because he was not wearing a police uniform. It was when we were interrogating them that we found out.
‘If he (Nyian) is denying that he is not into drugs, he should be taken for a drug test to check his innocence. He caught him and others taking drugs, why have we already warned sellers and users to steer clear of our Nkpolu. We did not take money from him. Police can go to the bank to check if he sent any N78,000 to me or the youth body.”
—Vanguard
