THREE POLICEMEN ARRESTED OVER DERELICTION OF DUTY
IN MURDER OF A 42YRS WOMAN
OGHENETEIRI NYERHOVWO
A 42-year-old woman, Mrs Grace Dagbo has been shot dead by yet to be identified gun wielding men along the Igbiki Avenue area of Ovwian in Udu Local Government Area of Delta State after she was allegedly left in the lonely place by some policemen from the Aladja/Ovwian Police Station who arrested her vehicle.
The Delta State Police Command swung into action and arrested three policemen including a senior officer over their alleged role in the killing of the woman, a mother of four.
Findings revealed that the deceased was flagged down by a team of policemen on stop-and-search duty at the Igbiki Junction area of Ovwian where she was thoroughly searched for her vehicle particulars, but trouble ensued when she could not, as alleged by sources to provide her Toyota Sienna Space Bus (Reg. No AGL 822 EY) tinted glass permit.
Sources said that the vehicle was said to have been impounded by the police team after she claimed the tinted glass permit paper was at home and pleaded with the officers on duty to let her go as she was running late to pick her decoration materials from a venue.
Sources further disclosed that the police team led by an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) had reportedly ordered the deceased and her 11-year-old daughter, Dabo Oghenenyerhovwo, to leave the vehicle for them and impounded the vehicle, drove it to the station and left the deceased and her 11-year-old at the spot.
In their bid to leave Igbiki Junction which is a notorious spot for armed robbery, Mrs Dagbo and her daughter flagged down and boarded a tricycle heading towards the direction the policemen was driving her vehicle to, it was alleged that she told the tricycle rider to pursue the policemen.
Contacted, a senior police officer attached to Burutu Area Command, confirmed the killing of the 42-year-old woman, he disclosed that the woman was killed by robbers in a tricycle she boarded.
The officer claimed that the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) in charge of Aladja/Ovwian Police, Mr Eyoh Anniete, arrested the police officers who impounded the deceased vehicle when the husband of the late woman reported the incident at the station.
According to the senior officer, “from investigation so far, the woman was killed by armed robbers. However, where our men became culpable was the reason to leave the woman and daughter behind at that dangerous spot. Our Oga (DPO Anniete) who is just six days old in the station had warned against unprofessional conduct the previous day. Immediately the husband of the deceased reported the matter at the station, the DPO promptly detained the police team that impounded the woman’s vehicle. So, the issue of extortion and that the policemen were the one that killed the woman was not true.”
Reacting to the issue, the Delta State Police Command in a statement signed by Onome Onovwakpoyeya, Delta State Police Public Relations Officer(PPRO) confirmed the killing of the Mrs Dagbo by suspected armed robbers
According to the Police statement, “on the 20th of July, 2019 at about 1920hrs, while one Mrs. Ughochukwu Grace Dabo was driving home in the company of her 11yr old daughter Dabo Oghenenyerhovwo Evon in her Toyota Sienna Space Bus Reg. No AGL 822 EY, she was intercepted by Police Patrol team at Igbiki junction, Ovwian-Aladja and when she could not produce the vehicle documents on demand by the Police, the vehicle was impounded and taken to the Police station for further investigation, while the woman was left at the scene having refused to go along with the Policemen to the station.”
The statement added, “however, on the same night, at about 2105hrs, her husband one Mr. Benjamin Dabo later reported to the DPO at the station that, while the woman was on her way home with her daughter in a commercial tri-cycle they boarded, she was attacked, robbed and shot dead by a three (3) man Armed Robbery gang operating with the same tricycle unknowingly boarded by her, but her 11yr old daughter survived the attack and escaped unhurt. She was able to narrate how her mother was killed by men of the underworld who are yet to be arrested.”
The police sympathized with the family and regretted the unfortunate incident that led to the death, adding, “the Commissioner of Police regrets the unfortunate incident leading to the death of the deceased and commiserates with her family members. He therefore assures members of the Public, and in particular the immediate family of the deceased, of the commitment of the Police to thoroughly investigate the role played by the Police in the incident and to ensure the arrest of the fleeing Armed Robbers with a view to ensuring that full justice is done without fear or favour.”
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