Two Delta cocaine suspects created an unusual scene by asking to take a photograph with police spokesman Bright Edafe after he interviewed them about their arrest.
According to PUNCH, police caught the suspects with two Beretta pistols and a substance believed to be cocaine during a stop-and-search operation in Delta State.
Operatives attached to the command’s Safer Highways patrol team intercepted the men while carrying out routine security checks.
A search reportedly uncovered the two pistols concealed on their bodies alongside the suspected illegal substance.
Edafe said the suspects claimed they carried the weapons to protect their drug business.
He cited the arrest as evidence that stop-and-search operations remained important for detecting weapons, drugs and other prohibited items.
Suspects recognise police spokesman
The incident took an unexpected turn when the suspects recognised Edafe before their interview.
In the viral video, the police spokesman asked one of them whether he had known him before the arrest.
“You say you know me before,” Edafe asked.
“Edafe Bright,” the suspect replied.
After Edafe confirmed his name, the suspect responded, “Ahh, who no know you,” adding that the officer was widely known as the police public relations officer.
Edafe later said the suspects became excited when they realised he wanted to interview them.
“I have not seen this kind of people before,” he wrote in a follow-up social media post.
“Caught with cocaine and two pistols, which they claim they use for the drug business. But they got carried away when they saw that I wanted to interview them.”
Suspects request photograph after interview
Despite the seriousness of the allegations against them, the suspects asked Edafe for a photograph after the interview.
The police spokesman said he agreed to their request but jokingly attached a condition.
He told them to return for the photograph after completing any prison sentence imposed on them if convicted.
When asked what would happen next, one suspect replied, “Na the same thing.”
Edafe responded, “E don reach your turn na,” suggesting that the suspect now faced the consequences of the alleged offence.
The exchange attracted attention online because of the suspects’ relaxed behaviour following their arrest.
Police defend stop-and-search operations
Edafe used the arrest to defend police stop-and-search exercises, which often face criticism from members of the public over alleged harassment and misconduct.
He argued that properly conducted searches could prevent crimes and remove illegal weapons from circulation.
The recovery of the pistols and suspected cocaine, he said, showed why officers sometimes needed to stop and inspect suspicious individuals or vehicles.
The police have not announced formal charges against the suspects.
Investigators are expected to conduct further tests on the recovered substance and determine the source of the firearms.
The suspects remain presumed innocent until a court finds them guilty.
