A security operative at a checkpoint in Imo State has come under intense public scrutiny after a viral video appeared to capture him demanding ₦10,000 from a motorist whose mobile phone had been confiscated—apparently unaware that the device was still recording.
The footage, which has spread rapidly across social media, shows the operative seated inside a security vehicle after taking possession of the victim’s phone. The recording captures both his face and voice as he instructs the motorist to obtain ₦10,000 from the vehicle’s driver.
“Go and collect ₦10,000 from your driver. Tell the driver to borrow you ₦10,000,” the operative is heard saying in the video.
The phone, despite being seized, continued recording the encounter, documenting the conversation and the operative’s identity. The footage has since ignited widespread outrage, with many Nigerians describing it as further evidence of the extortion complaints frequently raised against some checkpoint personnel.
According to information accompanying the video, the victim and other occupants of the vehicle had been stopped at the checkpoint before the demand for money was made. Rather than silencing the motorist, the confiscation of the device ultimately produced the very evidence now circulating online.
The incident has renewed calls for stronger oversight of security personnel, including the deployment of body cameras, stricter internal accountability measures and swift disciplinary action against officers found to have abused their authority.
The development also comes amid renewed appeals by human rights organisations for security operations in Nigeria’s South-East to be conducted with greater professionalism and respect for the rule of law.
At the recent launch of the Southeast Human Rights Bureau (SEHRB) in Enugu, lawyers, civil society organisations and human rights advocates urged security agencies to uphold accountability and protect citizens’ rights, warning that public trust remains essential to tackling insecurity in the region.
As the video continues to attract widespread attention, many Nigerians are demanding a transparent investigation and appropriate action by the relevant authorities.
For many observers, the incident underscores a new reality of modern policing: in the age of smartphones, moments once hidden from public view can become powerful evidence, placing official conduct under immediate public scrutiny.