- The residents of Ughelli in Delta have written to the inspector general of police over the insecurity threats posed against the community and the police operatives
- The residents, in their letter to the IG, cried that more policemen were disarmed and killed by men suspected to be gangsters
- The commissioner of police in the state, Muhammadu Mustafa, attributed the death of the police operatives to lack of security equipment, calling on government to intervene
There has been worry over the insecurity situation in Delta state following the perpetual killing of police operatives after they have been disarmed by people suspected to be militants.
In a report available in Vanguard, the residents of Ughelli metropolis cried out for government's intervention after three policemen were reported to have been killed by suspected gangsters.
Legit.ng gathers that the apprehensive residents have written to the inspector general of the police, Ibrahim Idris, over the unfortunate development, noting that the community has been placed under the siege of the armed men since August.
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In a letter by the leaders of the alarm-raising group, Albert Omokiniovo and Odeme Akpinorku, anxiety surrounding the inability of the security operatives to curb the series of killing in the state was expressed.
The group also called on the IG to ensure the safety of lives and properties with few days to Christmas.
It said: "Just last Thursday, a team of policemen attached to the Ughelli area command were ambushed with one policeman shot dead, while others sustained various degrees of gunshot wounds.
“Two policemen were also killed within three days at separate locations in the month of September when some unidentified hoodlums ambushed them at their checkpoints and took away their rifles.
“With these weapons still in the hands of these hoodlums, we wonder where our fate lies during the Yuletide and the forthcoming general elections.
"It is on this premise that we are appealing to you to use your good office towards ensuring that peace and sanity is restored in Ughelli and environs."
Reacting to the claim that policemen were killed by hoodlums, the commissioner of police in the state, Muhammadu Mustafa, admitted that the community is bedeviled by insecurity. He, however, stated that the police operatives are committed to end the menace.
He said: "Attacks on policemen in Delta are reducing, almost four or five days now, there is no incident. There are internal and external measures we have taken, we are interfacing with the state government, and the citizens must be on the side of the police.
"If they attack police officers and take away weapons, then, the citizen should know that he is not safe and should be on the same page with us.
“In getting that support, we have to educate the people, most of them are sitting on the fence, and we need to get them on our side. I told the governor, Ifeanyi Okowa, he said the police should go ahead; he is not against any reward he is going to give anybody for the successful recovery of weapons stolen from police officers and arrest of suspects."
The CP also lamented about the lack of security facilities for the police operatives. He attributed the death of the policemen to government's low commitment to pump more money into the force.
He said: “Most of our officers that have been killed have no body armor. Government has not done enough. In the past, state government bought some body armors for the police, so I asked the governor; he said he was going to buy."
The government of the state has, however, promised to reward anybody with intelligence information on how the culprits would be nabbed.
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Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that the Nigeria Police Force on Friday, November 30, declared that it killed 104 armed bandits during an attack on Mahanga forest in Birnin Mogaji local government area of Zamfara state.
A statement by the force spokesman, acting DCP Jimoh Moshood, in Abuja said 50 hideouts in three camps belonging to the bandits were also destroyed.
Moshood said that over 500 cattle and 79 sheep were recovered from the bandits, adding that a policeman was killed during the operation.
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Source: Legit.ng