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The spokesperson for the Delta State Police Command, SP Bright Edafe, has stated that police officers are legally allowed to search people’s pockets and bags without a warrant.
Edafe made this known via his X handle on Saturday, August 23, while parading a suspected thief arrested with a firearm.
“Do the police have the right to search you randomly without a search warrant? The answer is yes. They can search you, your bag, and your pockets — but not your house or phone. This suspect was standing at a club around 5 a.m., looking suspicious. Operatives of the RRS intercepted and searched him, and this gun was recovered,” he wrote.
In a video shared on his page, Edafe narrated how operatives of the Rapid Response Squad, on a visibility patrol along DBS Road near Don and Master, intercepted the suspect, who was carrying a bag in a suspicious manner.
“When his bag was searched, this gun, its magazine, and ammunition were found,” he said.
Further investigation revealed that the suspect, identified as 39-year-old Bassey Udoh from Akwa Ibom, was involved in stealing generators.
“Udoh would scale fences while residents were asleep to steal their generators, sometimes using the gate to exit. His operations usually occurred between 4 a.m. and 5 a.m.,” Edafe added.
The suspect, who has lived in Delta State for three years, confessed to stealing generators from about nine homes in the last two months.
“I’ve not entered more than nine people’s houses. Some people buy the generators for N40,000 or N35,000,” Udoh admitted.
When questioned about the firearm, he claimed it was not for robbery but to show off at a club.
“I was holding it. I didn’t use it to rob. It was just for flexing at a club. I put it in my waist,” he said.
