“SHOOT HIM IN THE LEG”: AIG ORDERS PROBE AS VIDEO SHOWS POLICEMEN ASSAULTING STUDENTS AT EDE POLY HOSTEL

The Assistant Inspector-General of Police in charge of Zone 11 Headquarters, Osogbo, AIG Bassey Ewah, has ordered an investigation into a viral video showing armed police officers assaulting a man and a woman during an operation at a hostel in Ede, Osun State.

The footage, which surfaced on Wednesday, November 4, 2026, captured one of the officers instructing his colleague to shoot the victim in the leg, raising serious concerns about the level of force being used against students of the Federal Polytechnic, Ede, ValidViewNetwork reports .

THE VIDEO

In the footage seen by reporters, two police officers were seen physically assaulting a man as they dragged him out of his room and through the hostel compound.

During the operation, one of the officers was heard telling his colleague to shoot the man in the leg, a chilling instruction that underscored the severity of the assault.

The disturbing footage also showed a woman pleading with the officers to stop assaulting the man as they continued dragging him through the compound. The woman was also slapped several times by one of the officers .

Another woman, who was recording the incident from an upstairs section of the building, was ordered by one of the officers to stop filming.

The officer was seen confronting the woman and demanding that she stop recording, while other officers stationed outside the compound threatened and intimidated her as she continued documenting the incident .

THE POLICE RESPONSE

Following public outrage over the footage, AIG Ewah issued a press statement through the Zonal Police Public Relations Officer, SP Ojedele Olanrewaju Tunji, confirming that the officers involved had been identified and that steps had been initiated to investigate their conduct .

The statement quoted the AIG as saying:

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“The Nigeria Police Force does not condone any form of brutality, intimidation or abuse of power by its personnel” .

Ewah stressed that although police officers have constitutional responsibilities to enforce the law and maintain public order, they are expected to discharge their duties professionally and with restraint.

He added that officers must demonstrate discipline and respect for the fundamental human rights and dignity of every individual, irrespective of the circumstances surrounding an arrest or police operation .

“Any officer found culpable of misconduct or violation of established police regulations will face appropriate disciplinary measures in accordance with the extant laws and regulations of the Nigeria Police Force,” the statement added.

THE STUDENTS’ RELEASE

The incident sparked immediate mobilisation by the National Association of Nigerian Students, which condemned the invasion of the hostel by armed officers allegedly attached to the Zone 11 Cybercrime Unit .

NANS described the operation as brutal and unprofessional, citing video evidence showing armed uniformed officers forcefully entering the hostel occupied by a male and female student, intimidating and physically manhandling them.

The association also expressed concern that the officers accosted another student who was recording the incident, seized his device and stopped the recording .

Following a meeting between the AIG and a delegation of NANS Southwest leadership, the NANS Joint Campus Committee, Osun Axis, and the Students’ Union Government of the Federal Polytechnic, Ede, 16 students and youths regained their freedom.

NANS commended Ewah’s intervention as “swift, humane and decisive,” but maintained that the alleged conduct of the officers involved in the hostel incident remained a serious concern, stressing the need for accountability and investigation .

WHY IT MATTERS

The Ede Poly hostel invasion is a stark reminder of the fragility of the relationship between Nigerian students and the police.

A cybercrime investigation—a legitimate law enforcement objective—became a scene of terror.

Students were dragged, slapped, and threatened. A woman was assaulted. A student recording the incident was intimidated and had her device seized.

And one officer was captured on video telling another to shoot a man in the leg.

The AIG has ordered an investigation. The officers have been identified. Sixteen students have been released.

But the video remains. The questions remain. And the trust that was shattered in that hostel compound will not be rebuilt by a press statement alone.

The investigation has begun. The students are free. But for the young Nigerians who watched the footage, the message is clear: the police are not always there to protect them. ValidViewNetwork reports.