DCO quizzed for allegedly collecting N500,000 bribe
A civil society organisation, Bail is Free Campaign, staged a protest at the Delta State Police Command headquarters in Asaba over the alleged unlawful arrest, harassment, and detention of a professional builder, Henry Umukoro, and his colleague, Godfrey Jonah.
The protesters carried placards with inscriptions such as “I support Bail is Free”, “Today we must get Justice”, and “Freedom comes by struggle”, as they confronted police officers at the entrance of the police headquarters.
The officers initially prevented the group from meeting with the Commissioner of Police, Olufemi Abaniwonda, to air their grievances. However, the timely intervention of the command’s spokesperson, Bright Edafe, de-escalated the tension and stopped the officers from confronting the protesters.
Speaking during the protest, the campaign coordinator, David Ugolor, alleged that the police at Oghara Division acted unprofessionally in the arrest and detention of the two suspects.
He further claimed that the Divisional Crime Officer (DCO) of the Oghara Police Division granted bail to the suspects upon the payment of a “staggering sum of N500,000”.
Ugolor explained that on April 11, 2025, Jonah was arrested by the police in connection with a mob action against a suspected thief. When his colleague, Umukoro, approached the police to secure his release, he was also arrested and detained without credible evidence linking him to the crime.
“Yet, this mockery of justice did not end there. On April 18, 2025, both men were rearrested, again without a court order, and transferred to the police headquarters in Asaba,” Ugolor stated.
Describing the situation as “a gross miscarriage of justice” and “a chilling reminder of systemic rot within our policing institutions where corruption thrives and liberty is traded for bribes,” Ugolor called on the Commissioner of Police to ensure the immediate and unconstitutional release of the suspects. He also demanded an independent and transparent investigation into the actions of all officers involved in the alleged abuse of power.
Meanwhile, the police in Delta State have questioned the Divisional Crime Officer (DCO) attached to Oghara Police Division for allegedly accepting N500,000 for the bail of the two professional builders.
The two suspects had been detained at the Police Division for several days without being granted bail.The spokesperson for the command, SP Bright Edafe informed the group that the State Commissioner of Police, Olufemi Abaniwonda, had instructed the refund of the money, and the immediate release of the two suspects.
Abaniwonda, he said had, also ordered an inquiry into the police officers who accepted the money at the Oghara Division.
