The Akwa Ibom State Police Command has detained Inspector Monday Okonta following an incident in which a seven-year-old boy sustained an injury during a police stop-and-search operation on Abak Road, Uyo.
According to the Command, personnel of the Quick Response Squad stopped a vehicle carrying a family on the night of September 11. Preliminary information indicates that a smoke pistol was discharged during the encounter, injuring the child’s left hand.
The Commissioner of Police ordered the officer identified in connection with the incident to be disarmed and detained at the State Criminal Investigation Department while an investigation is conducted.
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Police authorities have said the investigation will examine the full circumstances and that disciplinary or legal action will follow if culpability is established.
The case again highlights the legal obligations accompanying stop-and-search operations. Crime-prevention powers do not displace citizens’ rights to dignity, bodily integrity and professional treatment by officers exercising coercive state authority.
A credible conclusion to the investigation will therefore require not only an internal determination of what happened but clear accountability if negligence, recklessness or other misconduct is established.
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