Delta State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Usman Baba Alkali is alleged of enthroning tribalism at the state police command while bribery and corruption thrives daily as it is alleged that Fulani Herdsmen who are caught in crime pay huge sum of money to gain freedom.
Loading ...Sources alleged that the CP promotes Muslim activities while he allegedly fights against Christian worshippers just as sources said top offices at the command are given to Muslim faithful whom the CP used to surround himself while aiding and abetting crime.
It is no longer news that in all the communities in the state where their cattle are grazing, there are sad stories here and there, women and young girls are raped in their farmlands, kill men and youths who dare to confront them for destroying their crops or raping their women and sometimes barricade highways with their cattle and rob motorists, travellers and other unsuspected road users.
Our investigations revealed that when these cattle rearers are apprehended, they allegedly induce the CP with monies through the State Criminal Investigative Department (SCID) to be given bail while those who could not pay their way out, Alkali use his office to shield them from prosecution.
A case in point was the arrest of the suspected kidnappers and murderers of the Ubulu-Uku monarch, Obi Edward Akaeze Ofulue III, the miscreants were paraded among other bandits. While the killers of the traditional ruler were given preferential treatments; there was an officer on ground who was speaking Hausa to them, they were not handcuffed and were neatly dressed.
But the other suspects which the police said are armed robbers, cultists and kidnappers were battered with wounds perhaps from torture and gun shots, were on handcuff and very dirty.
On the abduction of the king, the CP said the hooligans opened communication using the Obi’s phone and demanded for ransom on February 6, 2016, noting that one Pastor Charles Afamefuna who was found wandering and was taken to Umunede police station later confirmed that he was kidnapped together with the Obi.
“In the course of investigation, on 8 February 2016 the late Obi’s Samsung handset was recovered from one Jamilu Ahmed at Abraka market Asaba and was promptly arrested. The suspect’s useful statement to investigators led to the arrest of one Umar Abubakar that has claimed to have sold the handset to the former, the Umar Abubakar claimed that one “money dey” presently at large gave him the said Samsung handset to sell for him”.
CP Usman disclosed that one Usman Musbau, who deleted the contacts from the Obi’s phone has been arrested, Suleman Musa, the second in command of the kidnap kingpin, Farida Abubakar, a girlfriend to Dogo who was in possession of the Afamefuna’s Nokia Asha 201 phone was napped in Adamawa State and Garba Abubakar, the leader of the gang nicknamed Dogo was arrested at a Fulani settlement in Alfarma village in Gangaza local government area of Sokoto State.
The Delta State Police Command should tell Ubulu-Uku people and Deltans in general where those Hausa Fulanis are.
Our source said, when these Fulani Herdsmen are caught with AK47 Rifles and other dangerous weapons, they go through the SCID to offer bribe running into thousands of naira and they are given bail just as our source tongue lash the Police Commissioner over his insensitiveness towards the security of lives and property of the citizenry.
Further investigations disclosed that notorious armed robbers who are able to bribe their way have also been allegedly freed from police custody, while their activities go wide across the state using every available opportunity they have even in brood day light to unleash havoc on innocent and law abiding citizens.
Reports from major towns like Agbor, Asaba, Kwale, Isoko, Ughelli, Isiokolo and the Warri axis have it that life has become unbearable for residents because of the unending activities of the bandits who they say are cultists with heavy profile personalities behind their operations in the state.
Our source has also accused the CP of fraternizing with politicians, alleging that he was grossly used in the last election by those in the corridors of power to rig them into offices, alleging further that Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, the governor of the state was one of those Mr. Alkali worked for during the April 11 governorship election.
He also alleged that Okowa was behind the CP who would have been transferred from the state over the role he (CP) allegedly played during his election as governor just as our source purported that a high ranking officer was also behind the CP in Abuja thwarting every move to transfer him following his lucrative business in Delta.
The immediate past CP, Mr. Ikechukwu Aduba whom our correspondent contacted to speak on the spat of insecurity in the state replied through a text message, “I cannot comment, all is not well generally. If Nigeria is rated third from the bottom among countries ravaged with terrorists’ activities that spells danger. Economic activities is grounded, banks crying foul, crude oil is dropping dollar wise, future for now is bleak. God’s divine intervention. Needed”.
Contacted, the Commissioner of Police, Mr. Alkali denied all allegations but confirmed the activities of Fulani Herdsmen in Kwale.
Hear him, “how do I even come in contact with the arrested Fulani man? If a Fulani man or anybody is arrested for an offence, it should be that the arrest is carried out on the road by the highway patrol. Then we have investigating output which is the Criminal Investigative Department. So, how do I get in contact with the people to even collect money from them?
“I don’t investigate any case, I am the Commissioner of Police in charge of administration and finance. That means every police station, Area Command and every formation is under me. I don’t investigate cases, cases are investigated and brought to me, reports are written to me if they are to be taken to court, they are taken to court. If they are to be release for want of the evidence, I approve whatever the recommendation that is made base on facts in the investigation”.
“So, I doubt if that would be correct but if you have any case in point, any particular reference that you want to make to or the allegation is made to wherever the arrest was made and brought to my office, then let me know. To the best of my knowledge there is no Fulani man that has been arrested and brought to my office and I order his release”, he said.
On the alleged strong forces behind his non-transfer, he said, “these are not to my knowledge. All I know is that transfer is a routine thing in the police. I came from somewhere, this is my seven or eight states that I have been working since I entered the police, I have been transferred from one state to another, transfer is never somebody’s business. I think it is a routine thing in the police, so, I don’t know of anybody who is behind me in the force headquarters or who is not behind me in the force headquarters but I think transfer is a routine thing in the police service”.
On the alleged governor’s insistence that he should not be transferred he hinted, “I am not in a better position to answer that allegation. I don’t know the governor has stood for me not to be transferred, I don’t know, he would be in a better position to answer that. As far as I am concern, transfer brought me, transfer will carry me from here”.
On the Fulani Herdsmen ravaging the state without any re-enforcement from the police he said, “That is a liar, I am the chairman of the committee on cattle rearers which encompasses all other stakeholders including traditional rulers, and other stakeholders from the Fulani. We sit down and we talk, we look into cases, so I seriously doubt that allegation. Where we have these rampant cases is around Kwale and the local government chairman in conjunction with other stakeholders, we are all on the matter. So, I have never seen where Fulani men got ravaged and the police did not respond but I look for improvement”, he said.
But when contacted to clear the air on the part his principal has allegedly played, the Chief Press Secretary (CPS) to the governor, Mr. Charles Ehiedu Aniagwu, simply replied in a text to our correspondent that, “sorry, I can’t talk now” without first waiting to hear why our correspondent called him.
