Police Officer Who Threatened Nigerians Over Filming Apologises, Says ‘I Was Angry’

A Nigerian police officer, Newton Isokpehi, has apologised after a viral video showed him threatening to shoot anyone caught filming him while on duty, saying the controversial remarks were made in anger and did not reflect his true intentions.

In a video posted on his TikTok page on Thursday, Isokpehi appealed to Nigerians and human rights activist Harrison Gwamnishu for forgiveness, insisting his comments had been taken out of context.

“Please forgive me. If I offended you as a brother, forgive me. That statement was just out of annoyance because of the things that are happening. These things are painful,” he said.

Attempting to clarify his earlier remarks, the officer stressed that he was not opposed to members of the public recording police officers on duty.

“Actually, you can video us. You are allowed to video a policeman… I spoke out of annoyance. That one was just verbal talk,” he said.

The officer, who said he has served in the Mobile Police for 12 years, also displayed scars and gunshot wounds he claimed were sustained during operations, describing the sacrifices officers make in service.

“Look at my body, these are all bullets. Out of 17 of us, only two survived that operation,” he said.

His apology comes less than 24 hours after the initial clip sparked outrage online, with many Nigerians calling for disciplinary action against him. The Nigeria Police Force has yet to officially comment on the incident.