Security officers’ brutality exposed in pictures posted on social media

Police officers have launched investigation concerning pictures circulating on social media platform showing police officers mercilessly flogging and stepping over some unidentified youth in Yumbis location, Garissa County.

Security officers were sent to Yumbis area on Tuesday last week following an attack on a security convoy by suspected al-Shabaab militia, which lead to the killing of an officer as four were seriously injured.

The outrageous pictures have sparked off furor among leaders and human rights activists in and out of the social-sphere with many demanding for immediate arrest and prosecution of the officers.

Speaking to The Standard on phone, the Garissa County police Commander Shadrack Maithya who conceded of seeing the pictures said he was concerned about the pictures circulating on Facebook and Twitter noting that it was unethical and unprofessional for any security agent to humiliate civilian- whether suspects or not.

"The pictures have come to my attention and I have instructed the relevant agencies to speedily investigate its authenticity and whether the person claiming to be a senior police officer who posted them is a genuine member of our security force," he said.

Asked whether there was an officer by the name of the account user (Micheal Orina) in the police force , the county police boss said "I'm new in Garissa County and I can't for sure say whether I have such a person or not for now."

"And even if we found we have such person in our force we can't conclusively say he is responsible without our investigation proofing that. People can create names under other peoples' name and misuse them," he explained.

"What is seen in the pictures is wrong. It is against the ethics and the code of conducts for any security force, I'm disturbed but it is good for us to be patient for our investigations to establish where the captured and whether they are genuine," he added.

A section of leaders and human rights defenders from Northeastern who took to social media condemned the police actions, while questioning whether it was right for the police to torment suspects under their custody.

"These Somalia young men came to Garissa for a purpose but little did they know we are smarter than them. There scheme ended in court, we shall not relent on security issues. The public we need ua assistance," read the Facebook post with the three photos.

The user who later pulled down the photos was questioned by his friends whether flogging was necessary but he replied, "Force was necessary including using live ammunitions to maintain law and order in the county."

Social media was abuzz with reactions following the emerging of grisly photos while calling for the immediate arrest of the police officer.

The pictures showing the youth lying flat on their bellies on red soil, identified by many as Modika area shows an officer in plain uniform with rifle in his left hand whipping his victims lying in rows after rows, while his colleagues in full uniform hold onto a police Landover stationed at the rear, while another white land cruiser similar to one used by anti-terrorist in Garissa also parked at the background.

Other officers in a full police uniform stood behind seemingly enjoying the predicaments of the brutalized youths. Another picture show another officer in plain clothes walking over the brutalized youth as his colleagues beat then in turn.

The pictures were met with outrage and anger in North-Eastern region with Human right activists from the area saying the pictures were confirming the heavy handiness the security officers in the region were using against innocent civilians under aegis of fighting terrorism.

"How will the security agencies expect the local people to work with them while they torture people in this manner? What will stop the victims to harbor resentment against their government and find a soft heart for terrorists?" Khalif Abdi the coordinator of North-Easter forum for Democracy asked.