Nyerhovwo Oghenetejiri
Community leaders from Ibrede in Ndokwa East Local Government Area of Delta State have condemned the purportedly carried out on the community in the early hours of Wednesday, July 16, 2014 by men of the Nigerian Police from Asaba.
It was gathered that three persons were seriously wounded from gunshots during the alleged raid and are now receiving treatment at a private hospital in Kwale.
Chairman, Ibrede community, Benin branch, Mr. Jackson Imegu, told our reporter that the police fully aremed allegedly stormed the community with four Hillux van, disclosing that Ibrede people are now living in fears following alleged incessant arrest by men of the Nigerian police force from Asaba over the intra communal crisis that occurred in April this year.
Mr Imegu claimed that the police forcefully broke into innocent people’s houses at about 4.30am in company of leaders of other faction while shooting sporadically, and condemned the action in strong terms.
“Very respected Ibrede sons and daughters in diaspora and at home who had all along pleaded and cautioned for peace have not only had their images tarnished, rubbished and maligned allegedly by one Israel Aruighe and his cohorts who is also accusing people far and near as participants in the riot, the police are gleefully doing his bidding. Kwale Prison is brimming with suspects including the President General, Mr Finbarrs Onomerike and others locked up at his instance since April 30 without bail,” he added.
According to Mr. Imegu, “Only last week, the High Court sitting in Kwale granted nine of the suspects bail and that brought palpable calm and relief to the community with machinery already in motion by the Odionlogbo of the area , Chief Douglas Iliroma and other leaders of thoughts on how some of the burnt down houses could be reconstructed and the internally displaced persons rehabilitated when suddenly some persons took laws into their hands and committed this havoc”.
The chairman further accused the police in Asaba of acting in collaboration with the leader of the other faction by arresting arbitrarily any Ibrede son and daughter seen doing his or her legitimate business either at home, Ashaka or at Aboh, with a demand of high amount of money to effect their bail.
He said; “It is a case of Police being used as an instrument of vengeance, vendetta and oppression without allowing the court to take its course. We know that nobody is above the law but the question is why should the Police continue to arrest anybody pointed at by the other faction as participants in the crisis? So, it behooves on the Police to properly investigate before any arrest so as not to infringe and trample on the citizens fundamental rights and freedom”.
He gave the names of the three persons allegedly shot by the police as, Favour Ogbere, Ezekiel Ibere and Iwarioka Edhere.
Ibrede community therefore called on the Inspector- General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar and the peace loving state governor, Dr Emmanuel Uduaghan to intervene and salvage the ugly trend.
Contacted for comments, Mr. Adeleke, Divisional Police Officer (DPO) at Ashaka, said ”my men did not go to Ibrede, may be they are from Asaba”.
