(1) A police officer may, without an order of a court and without a warrant, arrest a suspect:
(a) whom he suspects on reasonable grounds of having committed an offence against a law in Nigeria or against the law of any other State, unless the law creating the offence provides that the suspect cannot be arrested without a warrant;
(b) who commits any offence in his presence;
(c) who obstructs a police officer while in the execution of his duty, or who has escaped or attempts to escape from lawful custody;
(d) in whose possession anything is found which may reasonably be suspected to be stolen property or who may reasonably be suspected of having committed an offence with reference to the thing;
(e) whom he suspects on reasonable grounds of being a deserter from any of the Armed Forces of Nigeria;
(f) whom he suspects on reasonable grounds of having been involved in an act committed at a place outside of Nigeria which, if committed in Nigeria, would have been punished as an offence, and for which he is, under a Law in force in Nigeria, liable to be apprehended and detained in Nigeria;
(g) having in his possession without lawful excuse, the burden of proving which excuse shall lie on such person, any implement of housebreaking, car theft, firearm or any offensive or dangerous weapon;
(h) whom he has reasonable cause to believe a warrant of arrest has been issued by a court of competent jurisdiction in Nigeria;
(i) found in Nigeria taking precautions to conceal his presence in circumstances, which afford reason to believe that he is taking such precautions with a view to committing an offence;
(j) whose arrest a warrant has been issued or whom he is directed to arrest by a Judge, Magistrate, Justice of the Peace or superior police officer;
(k) whom he reasonably suspects to be designing to commit an offence for which the police may arrest without a warrant, if it appears to him that the commission of the offence cannot be otherwise prevented; or
(l) required to appear by a public summons issued under this Act or any Act.
(2) The authority given to a police officer to arrest a suspect who commits an offence in his presence shall be exercisable in respect of offences committed in the officer’s presence notwithstanding that the Act creating the offence provides that the suspect cannot be arrested without a warrant.
