The protesting women
By Mathias Ogbaga
The peaceful community of Oteri-Ughell in Ughelli North Local Government Area was yesterday thrown into mourning as Nigeria Police,Ughelli Area Command shot one and injured many protesting women over police extortion and incessant harassment from men of Nigeria Police, Ughelli.
The protesting women in their hundreds staged a peaceful protest to the Area Command’s office but were rebuffed by the men and officers of the area command who used heavy teargas on the old women and shot one middle-aged woman in her left leg while others were beaten to stupor.
Addressing Journalists at the emergency ward of a central hospital, Ughelli, the President General of the community, Hon. Efe Erakpofoke Peter berated the action of the police saying that the women from the Oteri Community were in peaceful protest to the palace of Ovie (Monarch) of Ughelli Kingdom and the area commander to register their grievances.
The protesting women
According to him,”The area commander called him to appeal to his people to go home that he would look into their complaints but before he knew it, the police started shooting and teargasing the protesting women and in the process, shot one in the leg and injured many”.
While giving the reason for the protest,Hon.Efe Erakpofoke Pete noted that the community noticed with worries that their people could no longer access their community neither came from the community as a result of several police extortions from motorists and cyclists plying the community.
“Once you come out of the community to Ughelli main town,once is 8. oopm you cannot get motorcycles or tricycles to carry you because of the police’ extortion, our mothers and women trek home from Ughelli main market every day because police’ harassment and extortion on the motorists”. Recently the police embarked on incessant arrest and vandalization of house belonging to the youths of the community and carted away their personal belongings, detailed them, and collected a huge amount of money from them without offense.
An interview with the Press
The actions of Nigeria Police in Ughelli contravene the police practice and are inhumane, our community is a peaceful community and law-abiding citizens,stop making life difficult for us, you are making life difficult for these poor and innocent citizens, he appealed”.
On their part,Harvest Ugbhwiako and Mrs. Vivian Aphiare who spoke on behalf of the protesters 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 nairas to bail them.
Earlier when contacted, ACP Adebayo told journalists that his office is looking into the complaints of the community with the view to sanctioning any erred police officer just as he disclosed that he disbanded a squad of hunters in the command.