The Anambra State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Tobechukwu Nweke, has constituted a fact-finding committee to investigate the confrontation between police officers and court bailiffs during the execution of a court judgment in Awka.
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The move follows public controversy generated by a viral video showing police officers attached to B Division, Awka, and officials said to be bailiffs of the Chief Magistrates’ Court during an enforcement exercise.
The incident occurred on October 7, 2026, when the court officials said they were carrying out the execution of a judicial warrant.
According to an earlier account from one of the bailiffs, a man who identified himself as the Divisional Police Officer of B Division allegedly arrived at the scene and directed the court officials to stop the exercise and accompany him to the police station.
The bailiffs reportedly responded that they were acting pursuant to a court order and requested that they be allowed to complete the execution before proceeding to the station.
They subsequently alleged that additional police officers arrived at the scene and that the encounter became confrontational.
The controversy deepened after video footage of the incident circulated widely on social media, showing an altercation involving police officers and persons identified as court officials.
The footage prompted criticism from sections of the legal community, with questions raised over the circumstances in which police officers may intervene while bailiffs are executing a subsisting court warrant.
The Anambra State Police Command had also issued an explanation concerning the encounter, while the Nigerian Bar Association, Anaocha Branch, subsequently rejected aspects of the police account and called for a transparent investigation into allegations of assault, intimidation and obstruction of court officials.
The matter has now attracted the formal intervention of the Anambra State Ministry of Justice.
In a statement issued on Friday, the Director of Public Prosecutions, Nneka Umeozulu, said the Attorney-General had been informed of the viral footage as well as statements allegedly made by persons believed to be court bailiffs concerning the police officer involved.
“The attention of the Honourable Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Anambra State, has been drawn to a viral video showing an attempt by some police officers to arrest a sheriff/bailiff of the court who appeared to be executing a judgment of the court, as well as statements made by persons believed to be one or some of the sheriffs/bailiffs against the said police officer,” the statement said.
Umeozulu disclosed that the Attorney-General had also received complaints from several individuals alleging that offences may have been committed during the encounter.
“The Attorney-General has also received complaints from several persons alleging the commission of offences arising from the incident,” she said.
Against that background, the Ministry said Nweke had set up a committee to establish what actually transpired and determine the circumstances surrounding the confrontation.
“In view of the foregoing, the Attorney-General has constituted a Fact-Finding Committee to examine the facts and circumstances surrounding the incident and to submit a report to the Hon. Attorney-General accordingly,” the statement added.
The Ministry did not immediately disclose the membership of the committee, the timeframe for completing its assignment or whether its findings would be made public.
It, however, appealed to all parties involved to exercise restraint while the investigation continues.
“Those concerned should be calm and exercise patience until the investigation is concluded,” the statement said.
The investigation is expected to examine the conduct of both the police officers and the court officials, including the circumstances that led to the attempted arrest shown in the circulating footage, the status of the warrant being executed and the allegations of physical confrontation arising from the incident.
The outcome could also clarify whether any officer acted outside the scope of lawful police powers or whether any offence was committed by other persons involved in the confrontation.
The dispute has drawn wider attention because of the constitutional importance of enforcing court orders and the separate responsibility of the police to maintain public order and investigate complaints.
With the constitution of the fact-finding committee, the Anambra State Government has now moved to establish an official account of the incident amid competing narratives from those involved.
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