Newton Isokpehi, the police officer seen in a viral video threatening to shoot anyone who filmed him while on duty, has apologised to Nigerians, saying his remarks were made out of frustration.
In a video shared on his TikTok page on Thursday, Officer Isokpehi asked Nigerians and rights activist Harrison Gwamnishu to forgive him over the comments that sparked reactions online.
“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,” he said.
The officer said he was not against members of the public recording police officers but argued that some people had taken it too far.
“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,” he said.
Isokpehi, who said he is from Edo State and grew up in a police barracks in Kaduna, described himself as a dedicated officer who had spent 12 years in the Mobile Police Force.
He also showed scars and injuries he said were sustained during operations while serving 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.
The officer also attempted to withdraw his earlier threat, insisting he had no intention of harming 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 said.
Appealing again to Nigerians, Isokpehi said the backlash from the video had gone beyond what he expected.
“Harrison, forgive me. I beg the whole of Nigeria, please forgive me. This one has reached too far,” he added.
The apology came a day after a video circulated on social media showing the officer threatening to “clear everybody down,” including passengers around anyone filming him during an operation.
The video drew criticism online, with many Nigerians calling for disciplinary action against him.
As of the time of filing this report, the Nigeria Police Force had not issued an official statement on the matter.
