Query officers for brutalising 90-year- old woman
The Special Squad of the Delta State Police Command deployed to Ughelli has arrested three suspected armed robbers with one Beretta pistol and one locally made cut-to-size gun in Sapele town.
The Guardian learnt that the special squad arrested the suspects on June 5, at about 5:45 a.m., while acting on credible intelligence. Confirming the arrest, spokesperson for the command, SP Bright Edafe, gave the names of the suspects as: Blessing Atima, 23, ‘m’, of Jesse community in Ethiope West Local Council; the gang leader, Destiny Okpako, 23, ‘m’ of Oviri-Okpe community in Okpe Local Council; and Wisdom Akpohirowho, 20, ‘m’, of Jesse community in Ethiope West Local council, all residents of Sapele town.He said other items recovered include three cutlasses, phones, and Automated Teller Machine (ATM) cards belonging to their victims.
MEANWHILE, the command quizzed two police officers for allegedly brutalising a 90-year-old woman, and her daughter, one Ada Onochie. The officers attached to A Division Asaba were also accused of using “excessive force” and stealing N250,000 and phones belonging to one Blessing Michael and Jude Ojiugo-Onochie.
Narrating the incident, Ojiugo-Onochie, a social activist based in Asaba, said the officers who arrived in mufti forcibly entered his house at Konwean Street, Uda Layout by Holy Ghost Movement Church, Asaba. He said: “On April 30, at about 12:18 p.m., the two officers forcibly entered into the premises without identification, or search or arrest warrant.
“The officers operated like armed hoodlums when they invaded our house. They spared nobody throughout the hours they carried out the heinous acts. This made us suspicious whether or not they were indeed police officers.
“They assaulted everyone, including one Ada Onochie, a daughter of the house, and pushed down an aged woman of about 90 years.
“The men went into the rooms, ransacked them, and made away with phones, one of which belonged to Mrs Blessing Michael and myself, and cash worth N250,000 belonging to Onyeka Onochie.”
Following this development, the family, through its legal counsel, J.C. Dikedi, petitioned the Commissioner of Police, Abaniwonda Olufemi, demanding justice.
