Nigerian police officer Newton Isokpehi has publicly apologised after a viral video showed him threatening to shoot anyone caught filming him while on duty, sparking widespread backlash on social media.
In a video shared on his TikTok page on Thursday, Isokpehi pleaded with Nigerians and rights activist Harrison Gwamnishu to forgive him, saying his controversial remarks were made out of frustration.
“Please forgive me. If I offended you as a brother, forgive me. That statement was just out of annoyance because of the things happening. These things are painful,” he said.
Speaking in Pidgin English, the officer clarified that he was not against citizens recording police officers, noting that Nigerians have the right to film law enforcement personnel.
“Actually, you can video us. You are allowed to video a policeman. But it’s not right for just anybody to come from anywhere and start videoing officers on duty. They have taken it too far,” he stated.
Isokpehi, who disclosed that he is from Edo State and grew up in a police barracks in Kaduna, described himself as a dedicated officer who has spent over a decade serving Nigeria.
According to him, he worked in the Mobile Police for 12 years and suffered multiple gunshot wounds during operations while protecting the country.
“Look at my body, these are all bullets. These are all gunshot wounds. Out of 17 of us, only two survived that operation,” he said while showing scars on his body.
The officer also attempted to retract his earlier threat, insisting he never intended to harm civilians.
“How can I be saying I will kill my own people? We don’t do that. I spoke out of annoyance. That one was just verbal talk,” he explained.
Directly addressing Nigerians and Harrison Gwamnishu, Isokpehi admitted the backlash had gone beyond what he expected and appealed for understanding.
The controversy erupted after a video of the officer threatening to “clear everybody down,” including bystanders near anyone filming him, circulated widely on X and Instagram, leading to public criticism and calls for disciplinary action.
As of the time of filing this report, the Nigeria Police Force had not released an official statement regarding the incident.
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