Godwin Udoh
Policemen attached to Ughelli A’ Division of the Delta State Police Command and some vigilance group, on Thursday, April 4, 2024, reportedly attacked and brutalised two journalists for no course.
The newsmen said to be attached to the Office of the Chief Press Secretary (CPS) to Delta State Governor, Sheriff Oborevworiwere, on Thursday, brutalised, dehumanised and molested by policemen attached to the Ughelli A’ Division of the Delta State Police Command.
The journalists, Comrade Andrew Unutame of the Galaxy Television, and Comr. Oghenekaro Awodeha of The Periscope Newspaper, were beaten blue and black by the operatives of the Nigeria Police Force and men of Vigilance group at the premises of Ughelli A’ Division, at the presence and instance of one of senior Police officer, Mr. Ugwu Chukwutem.
Recalled that similar occurrence took place on November 28, 2022, when policemen from Ughelli A’ Division, led by one ASP. Edet, also brutalised two journalists attached to the Pointer Newspaper and Galaxy Television, under the nose of the Divisional Police Officer, while covering the visitation of the immediate past Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege to a religious leaders at Oduaran street, in Ughelli, Delta state.
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Narrating his ordeal, Comr. Gabriel Oghenekaro said, “I boarded a motorcycle in Ughelli and as we were on our way, the rider on sighting the police who were always at the front of Oharisi Primary School extorting commercial motorcycles and tricycles, told me to come down as he won’t go beyond that point. When I asked him why he chose to turn, he said even when you are with your particulars, you must also part with N200, but that in his case, he left the papers (particulars) at home.
“I then encouraged him not to run but to meet them, that if he is stopped, I’ll plead for him. As a journalist I was also suspicious why he would say he was not with his particulars.
“Eventually when the Police stopped us and demanded for his particulars, the man said he is not with them, one of the policemen immediately ordered us to alight and then rode the motorcycle to the police station.
“At this point the rider was angry and blaming me as he alleged that he will forced to part way with N50,000 to bail the bike. He was accusing me of failing to plead for him. It was then I told him that if truly he has his particulars at home, he should go home and bring them and that once its established that he has his papers, I’m ready to go with him to the station to assist in securing the release of his motorcycle.
“When the man brought his papers, as promised, I called my colleague and we drove to the station with the bikeman.
“We were then directed to meet a woman police identified as, Corporal Ebi. We met her, presented what brought us and she asked of the particulars which was given to her. Then she said the particulars were not authentic, that they had been forged.
“She then demanded that if we want the bike, we should go and bring N50,000, else we should run from her front.”
According to him, for no just cause, she was infuriated and ordered them to leave her sight to look for the money.
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“At this point we decided to leave and went to our vehicle. As we were about going she ran towards us and asked the bike man to give her the papers, that we were running away.
“I was shocked when she said we were running. Well, I asked the bikeman to give her the particulars, which he did, but this woman police continued abusing us. At a point, I politely told her to be polite and kind with her words. That was all.
“The next I heard her say was, ‘who am I to talk when she is talking’ as she started creating a scene as if we were quarrelling. As this was going on, a male policeman identified as Inspector Erasmus Ikperinwa just walked up to me, hits me and grab me on my trousers, cut my belt and started manhandling me before others policemen and local vigilantes joined in beating me, dragging me on the ground, matching me and telling me they have resolved to kill any journalists that interferes in their operations in Ughelli.
“They handcuffed me and compelled me to lay down on the floor, threatening to throw me in the cell and ensure they levelled allegations of bearing arms against me and that will make me rot in jail.”
The journalist who was looking frail as a result of the beating, said the woman Corporal, Ebi, boasted that she was a lawyer that has been called to the Nigerian Bar and that nothing would happen. “You can call the Inspector General or the Commissioner of Police, and if it is case you want, I will give you to the fullest.”
Continuing he said, “When they were brutalising me, my colleague tried to intervene, but they attacked him with planks (woods) and gave him the same beating.
“The last thing I could recall as they trampled on me on the floor was seeing him run towards the Area Commander’s section in the station. After then, the woman Corporal identified as Ebi from Ughelli ‘A’Division brought paper and compelled me under duress to write statements and threw me in the cell.
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“It was at this point that my colleague who ran to the Area Commander’s section came with a police woman on the instructions of the A.O. summoning us to the office to hear what happened.
“We did not commit any crime other than trying to do a humanitarian service. So I don’t see why we should be manhandled in such a way. I think it is high time the Inspector General and Delta State Police Commissioner of police do something about the excesses of the police in Ughelli ‘A’ Division and as well as the vigilantes. Assault on journalist by officers and vigilante attached to the division has been a routine, and must be stopped.”
Corroborating what his colleague said, Comrade Andrew Unutame said, “We only came to see how we could be of assistance to the bikeman, because according to my colleague who called me to accompany him, the bikeman told him he was new in Delta and has no one.
“When we got there we met the lady, she asked us to go and bring N50,000.
“We don’t have that kind of money and she was not ready to listen to any plea. At this point, we went back to our vehicle and wanted to go back, because my colleague said, he left his phones in the office, that he wanted to call someone to do some clarifications.
“This was when one Erasmus Ikperinwa came on the scene and start manhandling my colleague, dehumanising him and as I tried to intervene, they attacked me with woods and different objects.
“One of the vigilante took a 2×2 plank wood to hit me on my back, so when I saw that they were ready to kill me, I ran to the Area Commander’s office, that was when the A. O, tried to intervene in the matter.
“Their intention was to kill us because you cannot even attacked a criminal who is already in your compound like that, safe for journalist whose identity you already know.
If not the timely intervention of the Ughelli Area Command, Admin Officer, A.O, we would have been dead or incarcerated by now.
This is condemnable and barbaric as the policemen attached to the Ughelli ‘A’ Division and the local vigilantes have always infringes in the rights of the citizens. Their daily extortion must stop and they must respect the rights of others no matter the situation.
The police officer called Ugwu has no other beat aside mounting road blocks in collaboration with the vigilance group to stop and extort motorcycles, tricycles and others. He must be called to order and we appeal to the Delta State Police Commissioner to call his men to order as they have publicly told me that they kill any journalists that interferes in the operations or forged allegations on their head. Journalists in Ughelli are no longer safe.
Police image-maker in the state, SP Edafe Bright, in a message sent to The Nigerian Xpress said that the officers involved in the shameful act had been detained and that trial had commenced.