Vanguard, TUESDAY, JULY 17, 2012—35 dumbfound by evidence – Delta speaker: But Delta Speaker, Hon Ochei, does not seem to believe the power game theory, as he told newsmen while fielding questions, Monday, June 25, at Asaba that Delta lawmakers stood by their resolution, on the eve of the IGP’s visit, calling on President Goodluck Jonathan to direct the IGP to revisit the investigation of Mr. Adeyemi. He called on Abubakar to ensure that adequate protection was provided for persons willing to offer useful evidence that might nail the former leader of the antikidnapping squad in the state, who was earlier arrested for aiding and abetting kidnapers in the state. His words: “A lot is going on, but we still leave it to the Nigeria Police to ensure that they bring the culprits to book. The IGP may have been quoted as telling people to come forth with evidence, which is fine, but let him also ensure the protection of those who intend to give the evidence and you will be shocked by the level of evidence that he (IG) will receive. We stand by our resolution, we are not shaking and we believe the right answers will come out soon if not very shortly.”
Kidnapping: Explosive intrigues in Delta Continues frompage 34 had felt the impact of kidnappers whose motivating spirit is money. A medical doctor, Dr. Ngozi Chibuikem, was seized, some months ago, at the Central Hospital, Warri. She was released when security operatives got wind of the kidnap gang that carried out the operation and threatened the mother of the gang member, who in turn, contacted her son to release the female doctor. The true test: To show that he had nothing to hide on the release of CSP Dickson, the IGP challenged anybody with concrete evidence against the embattled police officer and his team to come forward as he could not prosecute anyone discriminatorily.
Concrete evidence From the utterances of Governor Uduaghan and the House of Assembly, it could be that the executive and legislative arms are privy to some information, which Mr. Abubakar is not aware of. The challenge in the Dickson case, therefore, is for the IGP to be given concrete evidence to convince him that some people were not after the police officer for nothing. Security agents are colluding: Investigation, nonetheless, showed that policemen and other security agents are aiding and abetting kidnappers and other criminals in the state. They usually passed information to the gangsters and told them when the coast was clear for them to operate. More often than not, it was the gang that failed to cooperate that was reined in. There is a case of a senior police officer recently transferred out of the state, who was named by an oil bunkering syndicate as one of its godfathers. But, even as all dogs eat human excreta, it is only the one it is found in its mouth that will be accused of eating shit. Policemen allege power play: A number of policemen in the state police command, who spoke to Vanguard, said CSP Dickson was caught in a messy power game with some powerful forces in the command, which used their connection with politicians to tarnish his name. According to a senior police officer, “The genesis of the whole problem is the kidnap of Hon Gabriel Nwike Okpuno in March 2012, which some alleged he colluded with the kidnappers to extort money. “But there was nothing like that, it was a false allegation that was made against him. I can tell you that the man is behind the
inroads the command has made on the bursting of kidnap syndicates in the state. They said he sat in conference with the kidnappers, but he was the one that arrested the victim’s driver for the offence and the pregnant wife of one of the kidnappers. Let me tell you what happened, a senior police officer was envious of his rising profile and was in cahoots with some persons, who passed the information across to some people in high quarters that Dickson was fraternizing with kidnappers, and they later followed it up with a petition. "This is what happened, but it is not true and the IGP himself testified to this. Go and find out, Dickson rescued an 80-year-old Madam Beatrice Onah, an Enugu-resident Deltan, kidnapped December 15, 2011,while on home visit at Kwale and nabbed the entire kidnap gang in addition to the recovery of the full ransom of N2 million extorted by the gang. He is not the kind of officer that will compromise with kidnappers”, he added. Apprehension everywhere: While waiting for the warring parties to sort out the Dickson affair, the people are worried about the growing menace of kidnappers in the state. Chairman of the Nigeria Bar Association, Warri branch, Gweke Akudihor, lamented that security agents have failed to nip in the bud the alarming cases of kidnappings and killings in the state.
Kidnappers and murderers To this end, the NBA boss said the chapter has decided at a crucial meeting to sanction any lawyer who defends suspected kidnappers and murderers. He said: “We took the fundamental resolution that lawyers in the area will no longer defend cases bordering on kidnapping and killing because they are acts of terrorism that do nobody any good.” Akudihor said that any lawyer who fails to comply with the order would be sanctioned, adding: “It is unfortunate that Nigeria is confronted with acts of terrorism and it seems to give the impression that the government does not know what to do. We understand clearly that the problem did not start with the present administration. Regrettably, the Nigerian government has not been taking this worrisome issue seriously”. Akudihor, however, suggested that jobs be provided for the teeming youths, who are jobless, lamenting that kidnappings and killings were capable of
Map of Delta State
destroying the fabric of the society.
We are not sleeping – Delta police boss Briefing newsmen, May 2, at Asaba, Delta State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Ikechukwu Ayo Aduba, said the police were not sleeping over the spate of kidnappings in the state, pointing out that at least 44 suspected kidnappers were arrested in a period of one month. According to him, the waves of armed robberies and kidnappings have reduced considerably in the state following the command’s “dogged fight against the men of the underworld.” Delta State police spokesman, Mr. Charles Muka, told Vanguard that Governor Uduaghan’s cousin, SSG’s son, international footballer, Christian Obodo and a host of others, who were kidnapped were all released by the police, while some of the kidnappers were arrested. He assured that the police would continue in its battle to dislocate kidnappers and other criminals from the state. Battling kidnapping from water to land: As a ‘Warri boy’, the governor, Dr. Uduaghan, is not new to the problem and intricacies of kidnapping in the state. Under the regime of his predecessor, Chief James Ibori, while he was SSG, he played a pivotal role at a very trying time when militants were abducting foreign hostages on the waterways. He, sure, understands the dynamics, and that was probably why the first agency he put in place on assumption of office in 2007 was the Delta Waterways Security Committee, DWSC. The team was an information gathering unit that was charged, among other things, with collaborating and providing intelligence information to security agencies to ensure safety on the waterways of the state. Many believed the DWSC performed commendably and peace having returned to the waterways, the governor dissolved the committee in March,
as kidnappers had shifted their operations from water to land. Flash points: The flash points were Warri, Sapele, Ughelli, Effurun, Ekpan, Udu, Asaba, Orerokpe, Ozoro and Oleh. Because of the spate, a number of government officials claimed the kidnappings were being Death sentence sponsored by some persons to as last card discredit the Uduaghan government, but some people For some years now, the countered that with the huge resources at its disposal, the governor had, because of his government should be able to strong belief that only God has fight kidnappers and their the power to give and take life, sponsors to submission. The state declined to sign a death penalty government had set up a joint prescribed for kidnappers by House of Assembly in an Antimilitary force kidnapping. Terrorism and Anti- Kidnapping The governor’s donation of 60 Bill that had been passed. But, patrol vehicles, two Armoured the House re-dusted the bill and Personnel Carriers, APCs, and still retained the fatality clause. It communication gadgets to the is still waiting for the state police command in governor’s assent. But, addition to other gesthere are recent feelers tures in the past, is bethat due to the lieved to be one of the unmitigated impunity ways to properly posiof kidnappers, the tion the police to fight governor may sign the kidnappers and other bill into law, and it is criminals in the state. The widely believed that Some of the kidnappers with death penalty for challenge arrested by the police anybody found guilty claimed they were in the of kidnapping, aiding engaged in the and abetting it as the Dickson business because of case may be, and unemployment, but the case, parallel crack down by governor was quick to security agents, fault the claim, saying, therefore, kidnappers will run for “Are you telling me that is for the their life in the state. because somebody is Deputy Governor, IGP to be not employed, he should Prof. Amos Utuama take to criminality? given (SAN), while receiving the Chairman of the concrete Police Service s that an excuse Commission, PSC, Mr. evidence for committing a Parry Osayande, crime?” He, however, to during his visit to said his government Asaba, stated: “Very had given employment convince soon, the governor will to a lot of Deltans and him that assent to the bill and it was also working to will be a criminal create more job some offence carrying death opportunities. people penalty for anybody to Sometime ago, the attempt or even kidnap governor enlisted the were not another. This is a very support of traditional big challenge to all of rulers to rein in their after the those who are enforcers subjects involved in the police of law because we act. He had also met must stamp out with religious leaders to officer for kidnapping in any moralize on nothing form, in any shape, in kidnapping. order to a have a very IGP will be peaceful Delta State.”
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