Group exposes police trying to extort money from bus driver in Delta (Photos, video)
- Human rights group has issued a 7-day-ultimatum to Delta police command to put an end to extortion on Delta highways
- The group is angry that despite the directive from the Inspector General of Police, the police officers are still feasting on revenue from highways
- It said if after 7 days the officers are still caught carrying out the act, his group will mobilise a million-man-march against the police command
Undermining the directive from the Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, banning illegal road blocks and collection of fees from motorists and motorcyclists across the country, police in Delta state have remained adamant in flagrant violation to the directive of the police high command.
Consequently, the Committee for the Defense of Human Rights in Delta state has given the state commissioner of police, Ibrahim Zannah, seven days to make his officers comply with the directive as failure to do so, the group will mobilise a million man march against the commissioner and his officers at the expiration of the ultimatum.
In a text message to NAIJ.com, Chairman of the group, Prince Kehinde Taiga, said the action of the police officers has become a cause for concern, stressing that despite the Inspector General’s directive the police in the state are hell-bent on collecting N50 and N100 from motorists and motorcycle riders.
This police officer, Jacobson Oguma, is discussing with the driver of the bus on terms so as to let him go. The incident happened around DSC round about near Warri, Delta state on Tuesday. Photo: CDHR
He said the police commissioner has no excuse why he cannot stop his men from extorting money from motorists and tricycle riders, insisting that the onus lies on him to compel his men to obey the directive from the Inspector General of Police.
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Prince Taiga, who feels bitter over the police flagrant violation of the directive of the police authorities, said he has series of evidence against the police, adding: “I have been going round places where police still mount road blocks as their daily routine and source of livelihood.
“Now I have evidence to counter all their claims and I will provide more evidence to tender before the public so as to eliminate the false claims of the police in the state.”
He also named two police officers from Ebrumede police station, Jacobson Oguma and Damian Onwe who are always at the DSC round about in Warri area of Delta state.
He said the two officers accosted a bus driver whose papers expired on April 12, 2017, since the papers had expired in just seven days back, he joined to plead for mercy on the driver but they demanded for money as the only criteria upon which he would be allowed to go.
The two police officers are searching his bus, Jacobson Oguma is searching his bus, Damian Onwe is loosening his bus tyres for failing to come to terms with them. Photo credit: CDHR
But failure to meet their demands, they loosened the nuts from his bus, undermining the plea from him.
In the same vein, he said along Otor Udu area, he met different groups of police officers with the red beret where he said one officer Success with force number 402495 collected N50 from a tricycle rider and gave the rider number 2.
He added that another Hilux van written Delta command, one officer he could only identify as Mushaka with force number 402727 was seen collecting N50 from tricycle riders and motorists.
Along the road between Agbara Otor and Ughelli, some policemen were also seen between 3 and 5pm on Tuesday collecting N100 from okada riders undermining the little earning they make from their daily driving.
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Prince Taiga said within the seven days his committee has given to the commissioner of police in the state, his men would go round monitoring compliance levels from the police across the state.
He added that if police are still found collecting money from motorists, they would be branded as robbers because they are threatening the motorists with their guns.
On Sunday, the police high command issued a directive, banning all illegal road blocks where police officers extort money from motorists across the country.
Earlier on Tuesday, the Committee for the Defense of Human Rights called on the Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, to enforce compliance to the directive as only pronouncement without enforcement might not compel the officers to bow to superior authorities.
Watch the NAIJ.com video below. It shows two police officers, Damian Onwe and Jacobson Oguma, in Uwvie near Warri loosening tyre of a bus and the plate number attempting to seize it because the driver failed to give them money on Tuesday morning.