The Edo State Police Command has been forced into damage control after a viral video showed Governor Monday Okpebholo’s aide threatening to hand over members of the African Democratic Congress to the police and calling former presidential candidate Peter Obi “a stupid man,” all while the Edo State Commissioner of Police, CP Monday Agbonika, was filmed standing nearby and smiling.
In a statement issued on Thursday by command spokesperson ASP Eno Ikoedem, the police insisted that the Commissioner “at no point endorsed, adopted, or aligned himself with the remarks” and described the aide’s comments as being “diligently interrogated for any security implications other than that of comedy and showmanship.”
However, the characterisation of threats against members of a legitimate political party as potential “comedy and showmanship” has itself drawn criticism, with Nigerians questioning whether the police would describe similar threats against APC members as entertainment, and whether the Commissioner’s visible smile during the aide’s remarks constituted a silent endorsement regardless of what the official statement says.
The viral video, which has circulated widely across social media platforms, shows Emmanuel Eghogho, described by the police as “a well-known comedian in Benin City” and identified by multiple sources as a governor’s aide and praise singer, making remarks in the presence of the Commissioner of Police.
In the footage, Eghogho is heard vowing to hand over any member of the African Democratic Congress found in Edo State to the police commissioner, effectively threatening the arrest and detention of citizens for the offence of belonging to a legally registered political party.
He also referred to Peter Obi, the former Labour Party presidential candidate and leading figure in the ADC, as “a stupid man,” using language that critics have described as not merely disrespectful but as an attempt to delegitimise and intimidate opposition political activity in the state.
Throughout the remarks, the Commissioner of Police was filmed standing in proximity and appearing to smile, a demeanour that many Nigerians interpreted as a subtle endorsement of the aide’s threats, regardless of any subsequent official denial.
The Edo State Police Command’s statement attempted to distance the Commissioner from the remarks while simultaneously downplaying their seriousness.
“The Command wishes to state unequivocally that the comments made in the video by the said Emmanuel Eghogho are entirely those of the individual concerned and do not in any way reflect the views, position, or disposition of the Commissioner of Police or the Edo State Police Command,” the statement read.
“At no point did the Commissioner of Police endorse, adopt, or align himself with the remarks made,” the command insisted.
However, the statement’s next line raised eyebrows: “Those remarks are being diligently interrogated for any security implications other than that of comedy and showmanship.”
The phrase “comedy and showmanship” as a potential characterisation of threats to hand over opposition party members to the police has been seized upon by critics as evidence that the command is not treating the incident with the seriousness it deserves.
Threatening to arrest citizens for belonging to a political party is not comedy. It is a threat to fundamental constitutional rights, specifically the right to freedom of association guaranteed under Section 40 of the 1999 Constitution and the right to freedom of political participation. Describing such threats as potential “showmanship” trivialises conduct that, if carried out, would constitute unlawful arrest, abuse of office, and political persecution.
The statement sought to rehabilitate the Commissioner’s image by describing him as “a thorough professional and a non-partisan officer who is fully committed to the constitutional mandate of the Nigeria Police Force.”
The command reiterated that it had “earlier called on all political parties, their supporters, and the general public to conduct their political activities peacefully, lawfully, and without hindrance” and that “every individual and group is free to pursue their legitimate political interests in accordance with the law.”
The statement warned that “any act of violence, incitement, thuggery, or any conduct capable of undermining public peace and security will not be tolerated under any guise.”
The irony was not lost on observers: the command is warning against “incitement” and conduct “capable of undermining public peace” in the same statement that describes a governor’s aide’s threat to arrest opposition members as potential “comedy.”
The police statement, while distancing the Commissioner from the remarks, leaves several critical questions unanswered.
Why was the Commissioner of Police present at an event where a governor’s aide was making partisan political statements? If the CP was “on official duty” as the statement claims, what official duty required his presence at a gathering where a political aide was threatening opposition party members?
Why did the Commissioner smile while the aide made the remarks? The statement says he did not “endorse, adopt, or align” with the comments, but a smile, captured on camera, communicates approval regardless of subsequent written denials. A professional, non-partisan police officer hearing threats to arrest citizens for their political affiliation would be expected to intervene, object, or at minimum maintain a neutral expression, not smile.