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“Officer, abeg! I go tell you everything. Na my friend na him deceive me. E de Sapele, I go carry you go the place. I no know anything concern. Officer!”

These were the last words of 28-year-old Oghenemine Ogidi before he was shot at close range by Usman Nuhu, an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), on April 26, 2026, in Effurun, Delta State, South South Nigeria. Oghenemine died instantly from the gunshot. 

A disturbing video had captured him speaking Nigerian Pidgin while begging for mercy from the police officer with his hands and legs tied. He was said to have visited the Effurun Main Park along the Warri-Sapele Expressway to collect a waybill for a friend. However, transport union workers intercepted the parcel, which allegedly contained a Beretta pistol and ammunition. The transport workers informed the Uvwie Area Police Command.

At the park, the police, led by ASP Usman, a former member of the disbanded Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), arrived in a 2010 Toyota Sienna with other officers, supposedly to intervene and arrest the suspect, who had already been restrained by the transport unionists. The police whisked him away from the scene and took him to the front of the Ekpan Police Station in the state, where Usman allegedly shot him three times, while the other officers watched. 

The horrific incident triggered a cascade of criticism against the police on the internet, with many condemning the extrajudicial operations of ASP Usman and other officers in the country. Before his death, Oghenemine was an up-and-coming musical artist and the second child in the family to have been killed by the police. The mother of the slain artist said his elder brother was also killed in 2022 by a high-handed police officer.

Human rights defenders and lawyers have condemned the incident, stressing that it betrayed Nigeria’s judicial system. Abba Hikima, a human rights lawyer, told HumAngle that it is unjust for a police officer to execute the most severe form of criminal justice without a fair trial or proper judicial process in any case. He emphasised the need for swift justice for the victim.

“If someone is found culpable or liable for the allegations against him and a judgment of a death sentence is passed, even the court has to hand that out to the executors of the judgment, which is a department of its own; even the judge cannot do that. It is the sheriffs of the court and the executors that execute the judgment of the court,” Abba said, noting that Usman’s job was to arrest, investigate, and charge the suspect in court so that justice could be administered accordingly.

Oghenemine’s murder forms a part of the troubling pattern of extrajudicial killings that have plagued Nigeria for decades, eroding public trust in law enforcement and fuelling cycles of protest and repression.  

A disturbing pattern

Many civilian lives have been lost to police extrajudicial killings, ill-treatment, and abuse of power. Oghenemine only fell victim to a policing system enmeshed in impunity and brutality. Far worse cases have occurred in the past, and disturbing incidents of police officers unleashing cruelty against civilians continue to disrupt Nigeria’s civic spaces. 

In 2005, for instance, six young traders were killed by some police officers during a supposed anti-robbery patrol. The traders were said to be returning from a nightclub in Abuja, North Central Nigeria. One of them, Augustina, had allegedly rejected the advances of a senior police officer, Danjuma Ibrahim, leading to a bitter confrontation. The angry Danjuma then told officers at a nearby police checkpoint that armed robbers were approaching. When the group arrived in their car, the police blocked them and opened fire. Four died instantly, while two survivors were taken away and left to die. The police had reportedly planted weapons on their bodies to frame them as criminals.

The killings sparked outrage across Nigeria, with widespread condemnation of police brutality and impunity. Then-President Olusegun Obasanjo ordered a panel of inquiry, which confirmed that the victims were innocent traders and not armed robbers. Findings from the panel revealed the deliberate framing of the victims and exposed the systemic abuse of power within the police force. The case became emblematic of the dangers of unchecked authority and the lack of accountability in Nigeria’s law enforcement system.

It took more than 11 years for justice to be partially served. In 2017, two of the six policemen involved, Ezekiel Acheneje and Baba Emmanuel, were sentenced to death for their roles in the killings, while others were discharged. 

The Apo Six case remains a relevant example of extrajudicial killings in Nigeria, projecting a system that harbours police misconduct and the long struggle for justice faced by victims’ families. Between 2020 and 2023 alone, 848 Nigerians were victims of extrajudicial killings, according to Global Rights’ Mass Atrocities Tracker.

During the #EndBadGovernance protests in 2024, several protesters were killed in Kano, Jigawa, Katsina, and Kaduna, with experts raising concerns over growing police brutality. In Oghenemine’s case, however, the Nigerian Police Force seems to have moved swiftly to dismiss the officers involved and hand them over for prosecution. 

“The Force does not shield officers who violate the law. No rank, no position, and no circumstance will be permitted to place any officer above accountability,” DCP Anthony Placid, the Police spokesperson, said in a statement at the time. 

On June 1, a High Court in Delta State ordered the detention of five police officers over the alleged killing. The officers – ASP Usman Nuhu, ASP Onoloko Dauroupamo, ASP Okoh Kelechi, Inspector Goodluck Kingsley, and Inspector Omonigho Ahweyevu – were arraigned before Justice Marshal Onome Umukoro under Suit No. THC/ASB/CR/M/66C/2026. The court directed that they be remanded at the Ogwashi‑Uku Correctional Centre pending legal advice from the Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP) and adjourned the matter until June 15, 2026, for further proceedings. 

On the scheduled hearing date, Harrison Gwamnishu, a human rights activist who has closely followed the case and was present at the High Court in Asaba, revealed that the DPP had filed the necessary information before the court. He noted that the matter is now awaiting legal advice before proceedings can continue.

“The burial date has not yet been fixed, pending the conclusion of the trial,” he noted. 

The activist emphasised that the murder of Oghenemine symbolises Nigeria’s ongoing challenges with police reform, noting that this incident shows the critical need for reform, accountability, and the protection of human rights. He added that moving forward, the Nigerian police should begin to use body cameras, as they will help reduce the incidents of extrajudicial killings of suspects who are supposed to be charged in court in the country.

“Even though Nigeria stands at a crossroads, I believe that justice will be served, and the judge has ordered that some of the hearings be delivered online to avoid technicalities, even right from the correctional centre. When there is accountability, justice is possible,” the activist said.

‘Police your friend’

Nigeria’s policing system has long been associated with excessive use of force. SARS, for example, was established in 1992 as a branch of the police under the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and was designed to find a lasting solution to violent crimes, specifically armed robbery, kidnapping, and carjacking across the country. However, it became notorious for torture, extortion, and unlawful killings. 

Despite repeated promises of reform, the culture of impunity persisted. Amnesty International, a global human rights organisation, described the promises of Nigerian leaders to reform the police as “ineffective”. In its 2016 investigation, the organisation painted a damning portrait of SARS, exposing how the unit had strayed far from its original mission of tackling violent crime. SARS officers were accused of turning torture and extortion into a profitable enterprise, routinely brutalising detainees to extract confessions or money. 

The report documented harrowing abuses, including beatings, shootings, starvation, and mock executions. Detainees were held in notorious centres such as the “Abattoir” in Abuja, where overcrowding and inhumane conditions compounded the suffering. Despite clear evidence, officers implicated in torture were rarely suspended or prosecuted; instead, they were transferred to other stations, perpetuating a cycle of impunity.

Beyond violent crimes, SARS extended its reach into civil disputes and business disagreements, exploiting its power to intimidate and extort. Victims reported theft of property, raiding of homes, and confiscation of valuables, with families describing how officers stole cars, emptied bank accounts, and looted homes during arrests. 

The #EndSARS protests of October 2020 were a watershed moment in Nigeria’s struggle against police brutality. Sparked by years of abuses by SARS officers, the protests drew thousands of young Nigerians into the streets, demanding an end to extrajudicial killings, torture, and extortion.  The movement culminated in the Lekki Toll Gate massacre, where security forces opened fire on peaceful demonstrators, killing and injuring dozens. According to Amnesty International, the government’s denial and lack of accountability deepened public mistrust. 

“These shootings clearly amount to extrajudicial executions. There must be an immediate investigation, and suspected perpetrators must be held accountable through fair trials. Authorities must ensure access to justice and effective remedies for the victims and their families,” Osai Ojigho, former country director for Amnesty International in Nigeria, said. 

The death of Oghenemine highlights the same issues that triggered the EndSARS protests: unchecked police violence, lack of accountability, and the erosion of public trust. However, extrajudicial killings are not confined to SARS alone. Regular police units, military detachments, and other security agencies have been implicated in unlawful killings during routine patrols, protests, and even minor disputes. 

For instance, in April 2026, Abdulsamad Jamiu, a youth corps member, was shot in Abuja by Guards Brigade personnel. A similar incident occurred elsewhere on January 1, when Timothy Daniel, a 13-year-old boy, was killed by a soldier in Akwa Ibom. In May 2025, Japhet Njoku, a security guard, died in police detention at Tiger Base, Imo State, after severe beatings. Experts say this systemic problem reflects weak accountability structures, inadequate training, and a justice system that rarely prosecutes officers for abuses.  

“If the lives of human beings can be taken by security personnel, whether or not they have been found guilty of any crime or not and no matter how harsh that crime is, someday somewhere, somebody may be framed for a similar offence, and his life will also be taken unjustifiably,” human rights lawyer Abba warned.