Two Nigerian policemen detained after raid on student hostels
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Punch
Two policemen have been detained after a controversial operation at the student residences of the Federal Polytechnic, Ede, in Osun State, Nigeria. Sixteen students had been arrested before being released on orders from police leadership, while an investigation was opened, reports Punch.
Two policemen have been detained at the Nigerian police Zone 11 headquarters following an operation at student hostels at the Federal Polytechnic, Ede, in Osun State. The two officers, identified by students, are being investigated over alleged brutality and intrusion, Tunji Ojedele, police spokesperson for Zone 11, confirmed to Punch on Thursday.
The operation by the Zone 11 cybercrime unit led to the arrest of at least 16 students. The South-West National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), which reported the incident, accused the policemen of assaulting students during the search of the hostels, according to Punch.
Following the complaint, Bassey Ewah, the deputy inspector general of police responsible for Zone 11 in Osogbo, ordered the release of the arrested students and an investigation into the operation. Josiah Adeyemo, NANS coordinator in the South-West, said on Wednesday that the officers' conduct was incompatible with the principles of professional policing, according to Punch.
The investigation comes as Nigeria moves towards the creation of state police, announced on 4 November 2026, with a reform that could alter the organisation of security forces in the country. It also comes days after an ambush killed eight officers in Zamfara State on 3 November 2026.
