SaharaReporters gathered that the police officer, alongside some of his colleagues, had allegedly formed the habit of robbing POS business operators in the area under the guise of carrying out arrests.

An inspector of the Nigeria Police Force, identified as Okechukwu Ezema, has been shot dead in Anambra State after he was reportedly caught robbing Point of Sale (POS) operators in a community in the state.

SaharaReporters gathered that the police officer, alongside some of his colleagues, had allegedly formed the habit of robbing POS business operators in the area under the guise of carrying out arrests.

Community sources said the slain officer and his team had been notorious for terrorising POS operators along Orodo Road, after Umueze Nwaoriubi axis.

SaharaReporters learned that a civilian was killed alongside a police officer during the incident. A video obtained by the platform shows two lifeless bodies lying on the ground, with visible bloodstains around them.

In the footage, one voice is heard saying, “This is not the commander,” while another responds, “This is the commander.”

Sources revealed that the police inspector’s luck ran out on Thursday, July 17, 2025, when angry youths in the area apprehended him during one of the operations. In a separate video, lasting approximately 5 minutes and 41 seconds and also obtained by SaharaReporters, a police officer is seen being paraded and verbally assaulted by a mob, who repeatedly call him a thief.

It remains unclear whether the officer shown in the second video being paraded is the same one killed, or if he is one of the two bodies seen in the first video.

“The youths arrested him and labelled him a thief because this was not the first time he and his group had been extorting and robbing POS operators in the area,” a source said.

A police source commenting on the incident in a leaked internal message seen by SaharaReporters confirmed the killing of the officer.

However, the police statement claimed that Ezema and the two constables—who reportedly escaped—were en route to carry out an arrest.

It said, “SAD NEWS: ONE INSPECTOR OKECHUKWU EZEMA SERVING AT NWAORIUBI DIVISIONAL HEADQUARTERS, ANAMBRA STATE, HAS BEEN SHOT DEAD THIS AFTERNOON, THURSDAY, 17TH JULY, 2025, ALONG ORODO ROAD AFTER UMUEZE NWAORIUBI ON HIS WAY TO ARREST.

“HE WAS KILLED TOGETHER WITH A CIVILIAN, WHILE THE TWO CONSTABLES HE WENT WITH RAN AWAY.

“MAY HIS GENTLE SOUL REST IN PEACE. AMEN.”

But sources within the community alleged that the deceased officer and his colleagues usually moved around in a commercial bus, targeting POS operators and forcefully collecting cash from them.

“An inspector of police was arrested today while the rest escaped, abandoning their bus they normally used to rob POS people,” a community youth leader who witnessed the scene said.

At the time of filing this report, the Anambra State Police Command had yet to comment on the incident officially. Efforts made by SaharaReporters to reach the command’s spokesperson, Tochukwu Ikenga, were unsuccessful.

Meanwhile, SaharaReporters earlier reported that the police issued a fresh security directive to its officers nationwide, following a disturbing trend of attacks on off-duty policemen. These officers, often dressed in civilian clothes and carrying firearms, have increasingly been mistaken for terrorists or bandits.

SaharaReporters obtained an exclusive copy of the wireless message issued from the office of the Assistant Inspector-General of Police (AIG) in charge of Protection at the Force Headquarters in Abuja.

The directive—dated July 17, 2025, and bearing reference number CB:0900/DOPS/SPU/FHQ/ABJ/VOL.9/29 SE—was circulated to police formations across all 36 states of the federation, including Lagos, Kano, Yola, Makurdi, Benin, Port Harcourt, Abuja, Lokoja, Umuahia, Sokoto, Osogbo, Bauchi, Abeokuta, Akure, Awka, Enugu, Ibadan, Minna, Calabar, Gombe, Ebonyi, Akwa Ibom, and Owerri.

According to the document, which SaharaReporters obtained on Thursday, officers—particularly those deployed in volatile or hostile areas—were strongly advised to exercise extreme caution when carrying their service weapons while off-duty and dressed in plain clothes.

WATCH: Nigerian Police Inspector, Civilian Shot Dead In Anambra Community After Allegedly Robbing POS Operators pic.twitter.com/OKpRjeTis9

— Sahara Reporters (@SaharaReporters) July 18, 2025