One shot, others injured as Police teargas women protesting against extortion, harassment in Delta
One middle-aged woman was shot and several others were injured by Delta State Police Command officers on Monday.
The incident happened during a protest by women from Oteri-Ughelli against alleged police harassment and extortion, in Ughelli North Local Government Area, Delta State.
Witnesses said a peaceful protest turned bloody when hundreds of aggrieved women, mobilized to the Police Area Command office in Ughelli to register grievances, but were rebuffed by men and officers of the area command.
The women protesters carried placards with inscriptions including: “Oteri-Ughelli is a peaceful community with law-abiding citizens, stop making life difficult for us;” “Police are making life difficult for our poor and innocent citizens;” etc.
However, security operatives reportedly used heavy teargas against the unarmed women and shot one middle-aged woman in her left leg while others were beaten to stupor.
Two leaders of the protesting women who volunteered to speak with journalists, Harvest Ugbhwiako and Mrs Vivian Aphiare alleged that the police arrested and detained their children and wards who were on errands unlawfully and collected between one hundred and fifty thousand and two hundred thousand naira to effect their bail.
Also addressing newsmen at the emergency ward of the General Hospital, Ughelli, where some victims of the police gunshots were admitted, the President General of the community, Efe Erakpofoke Peter berated the police “for using guns with live ammunition against the peaceful protesters.”
He said, “The women from the Oteri community were in peaceful protest to the Palace of the Ovie (monarch) of Ughelli kingdom and the Area Commander to register their grievances”.
Efe stated that the Area Commander called him to appeal to the protesting women to go home and that he would look into their complaints, “but before I looked back, policemen started shooting and teargassing the women thereby shooting one in the leg and injuring many”.
He lamented that “people of the community had come to notice, with worries, that they could no longer access their community nor come out from the community without passing through several police extortions from motorists and cyclists plying the community.”
He spoke further, “Whenever you come out of the community to Ughelli main town, once it is 8pm, you cannot get motorcycles or tricycles to convey you any longer because of the police extortions.
“Consequently, our mothers and women trek home from Ughelli main market every day as a result of police harassment and extortions of motorists.
“Recently the police embarked on incessant arrest and vandalization of houses belonging to youths of the community and carted away their personal belongings, detained them and collected a huge amount of money from them without offence.”
When contacted, the Police Area Commander in Ughelli, ACP Adebayo told journalists that his office “is looking into the complaints of the community to sanction erring police officers and men.”
He disclosed that he had already disbanded a squad of hunters in the command.
DISCLAIMER
The OPINION / COLUMN is authored by independent contributors to the National Accord Newspaper. While contributors adhere to our editorial guidelines, they are not employed by the National Accord Newspaper. The perspectives and opinions expressed herein are solely those of the author and do not represent the views of the National Accord Newspaper or its staff.
Leave a Reply