Killing of cop by cultists: Police go wild in Rivers

BY JIMITOTA ONOYUME PORT HARCOURT –

 POLICEMEN whose constitutionalduty among others is to protect lives and property of citizens, practically went berserk in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, last week, over the killing of one of their colleagues by suspected cultists in a fierce gun battle. •Vehicles smashed allegedly by irate policemen on Rex Lawson Street, Borokiri, Port-Harcourt. •Vehicles smashed allegedly by irate policemen on Rex Lawson Street, Borokiri, Port-Harcourt.

 

 They reinforced 24 hours after the incident at Rex Lawson Waterfront, Borokiri Area, Port-Harcourt, smashing at least 10 vehicles parked by the owners along the street, indiscriminately arrested and whisked away citizens in their patrol vans to their station. . NDV learned that police officers from the Anti -Cultism Unit of the Rivers Police Command were in the area the previous night to arrest a notorious cultist. Death of colleague In an ensuing gun battle, one of the policemen was gunned down, while two others sustained bullet wounds and were rushed to an undisclosed hospital, where doctors were battling to save their lives.

A resident, who simply gave his name as Udoka, said the policemen were so incensed by the death of their colleague and injury of two others, that they mobilized more men to the area the following day to unleash their anger on anything in sight. “They smashed windscreens of vehicles parked on the roadside and also bundled several youths into their patrol vans,” he said. Police destroyed my 2 cars Another resident, Gigi, said two of his cars were destroyed allegedly by the rampaging police officers. His words: “Thursday morning, I was inside when my tenants came to call me that they saw some policemen around my cars only for me to come out and see that my cars have been vandalised.

I am really shocked as I am talking to you; what happened is like a dream to me. All the cars on my street and houses were vandalized.” Gigi explained: “I heard that the Anti-Cultism Unit of the Police came to make some arrests and they had a shoot-out with a group of boys. That is the much that I can say about what happened. First of all, I want to let the public know what the Nigerian Police Force did to us. “If a problem happened in the area, what they should have done was to come for arrests and not to destroy innocent people’s property. In fact, their duty is to protect lives and property, not to destroy,” he lamented.

Police boss visits, avoids press: Commissioner of Police in the state, Mr Francis Odesanya, later visited the area to see things for himself. He avoided press, but before leaving the area, he ordered the Criminal Investigation Department, CID, to conduct a full-scale investigation into the ugly incidents. Intensive investigation Contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, DSP Omoni, reechoed the directive from the commissioner, saying: “Well, investigation has been ordered; the Commissioner of Police has ordered intensive investigation into the incident. The State Criminal Investigations Department is handling the investigation.” Tension The alleged action of the policemen caused tension in the area for hours, as residents scampered for safety.

At the time of this report, some residents complained they were yet to recover from the shock occasioned by the action of the rampaging policemen.

Read more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2016/10/killing-cop-cultists-police-go-wild-rivers/