The spokesperson of the Delta State Police Command, SP Bright Edafe, has clarified that police officers have the right to search people’s pockets and bags without a warrant if they appear suspicious.
Edafe made this known on Saturday, August 23, 2025, in a post on his official X (formerly Twitter) account. He explained that while police officers cannot search people’s houses or phones without a warrant, they are permitted to search individuals, their bags, and their pockets when there is reasonable suspicion.
“Do the police have the right to search you randomly without a search warrant? The answer is yes; search you and not your houses or your phones. But to search you, your bag, pockets, is allowed,” he wrote.
Edafe shared the update while narrating the arrest of a suspected thief who was caught with a firearm in Asaba. According to him, operatives of the Rapid Response Squad (RRS) were on visibility patrol along DBS Road, close to Don and Master club, around 5:00 a.m. when they noticed a man carrying a bag suspiciously.
The man, later identified as 39-year-old Bassey Udoh from Akwa Ibom, was intercepted. When his bag was searched, a gun, a magazine, and several rounds of ammunition were recovered.
Edafe explained in an accompanying video: “While operatives of the Rapid Response Squad of the Delta State Police Command were on their visibility patrol around DBS road, just by Don and Master, they saw this young man carrying a bag, he was sighted in a suspicious manner, he was intercepted and searched. When his bag was searched, this gun was found in his bag, this is the magazine and these are the ammunitions that were recovered from him.”
Further investigation revealed that Udoh had been involved in generator theft. According to Edafe, the suspect confessed to scaling fences of houses between 4:00 a.m. and 5:00 a.m., stealing generators while residents were asleep, and then either passing them over the fence or rolling them out through the gate.
The police spokesperson stressed that the case justified why officers must have the right to search suspicious individuals without a warrant. He added that such actions often prevent crimes and expose criminal elements before they strike.
