Juliana Francis
The Delta State Police Command has denied shooting at protesters at Ughelli North Local Government Area on the 6th of March 2024.
The Police spokesman, Bright Edafe, who described the news as a false narrative, said: “Nobody was shot during the protest, however, the use of tear gas was rightly used to disperse the protesters.”
He explained that on the 6th May 2024, at about 11:30am, some members of Oteri community, Ughelli approached the Area Commander Ughelli and requested that Policemen be withdrawn from the express road.
He said: “The Area commander declined and informed them that the deployment followed the directive of the Commissioner of Police CP Abaniwonda Olufemi on the need to ensure police presence in that area to prevent kidnapping and other crimes.
“Surprisingly, women from the community in their numbers forcefully stormed the Area command premises in a violent protest, beating up a policeman in the process, and they were dispersed with the use of tear gas. The report making rounds that Policemen shot at peaceful protesters is false and should be completely disregarded.
“The Commissioner of Police Delta State CP Abaniwonda Olufemi sues for calm and reiterates that the Command will not succumb to pressure from any quarters because the adequate protection of life and property is the constitutional mandate of the Police and remains the priority of the Command.”
