Edo Police Orders Probe Into Clash Between IRT, EDSTMA Officers

The Edo State Police Command has ordered an investigation into a confrontation between personnel of the Intelligence Response Team (IRT) and the Edo State Traffic Management Agency (EDSTMA).

The development followed the circulation of a video on X on Thursday showing officers of the two agencies involved in an altercation.

The Commissioner of Police, Patrick Daaor, has directed a discreet investigation to determine the circumstances that led to the confrontation.

The command’s Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Eno Ikoedem, disclosed this in a statement issued on Thursday.

According to the statement, the Commissioner had met with representatives of both agencies and ordered the probe.

“The Commissioner of Police has also directed that the conduct of the officer seen firing the rifle be subjected to appropriate disciplinary review,” the statement said.

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The video showed an IRT officer firing his rifle into the air during the confrontation.

The police command said it would not tolerate misconduct by its personnel and vowed to sanction anyone found culpable after the investigation.

“The command does not, and will not, condone any act of indiscipline, unprofessional conduct or abuse of police powers by any of its personnel,” it said.

The command added, “Any officer, irrespective of the agency, found culpable after due investigation will be appropriately sanctioned in line with extant laws and regulations.”

It also stressed the need for security and government agencies to maintain professional relationships and cooperate in the interest of public safety.

The command said it places “a high premium on inter-agency collaboration and mutual respect among security and government agencies.”

“The incident is therefore being treated with the seriousness it deserves, without prejudice to the established working relationship between the Edo State Police Command and EDSTMA,” the statement said.

The police also urged members of the public to refrain from taking the law into their own hands and encouraged anyone with complaints about police misconduct to use established channels, including the Complaint Response Unit.