A video of a lady complaining about police officers searching her bags has gone viral. The woman, who was traveling in a commercial bus, said the police stopped the vehicle and searched the passengers’ bags. She also claimed the officers opened items that were being waybilled.

”Is this even right? Yesterday we were travelling from Benin to Owerri and at this particular checkpoint, this police people stopped us to check . Now I understand them searching but opening a girl’s bag to this extent, is it even right? Going though my clothes one after the other, my underwears were inside and he didn’t even flinch. I understand them searching but to this extent? Males are supposed to be searching males and females searching females.”

Responding to the video, the spokesperson of the Delta State Police Command, SP Edafe Bright, said that officers have the right to search people’s belongings during a stop-and-search operation.

He wrote;

‘’What if they had recovered beretta pistols and Ammunitions while carrying out this  thorough search? Would you be asking this question? The police were right and can search all items including way bill during the course of stop and search duty. And yes they can search the belonging of a woman. They are only not allowed to search a woman for males officers, but not their properties.  Are we clear?”

However, he clarified that while police can check a woman’s bags, male officers are not allowed to search women directly.

This statement has sparked discussions about police procedures and the rights of travelers during security checks.