Police shoot protesting women in Ughelli North, five hospitalised

No fewer than five women from Oteri community are currently in critical state at the Central Hospital Ughelli as police attached to the Ughelli Area Command allegedly opened fire on protesting women in Ughelli North Local Government Area of Delta State.

The protesters armed with leaves accused the police from Ughelli Area command of illegal arrest, molestation and intimidation.

Speaking from her hospital bed, Miss Valentine Adomi, 24 a tailor said, "I was on my way to the market to buy materials when I saw my family people at the front of the police station and I alighted from the motorcycle to inquire from them why they were there.

"Immediately, I heard sounds of gun shot and tear gas and i saw people running and I was also running back, I felt something touched my leg that made me not to be able to run.

"I heard people shouting that I have been shot on my right leg by the police.They rushed me to Central Hospital Ughelli after I lost much blood." she stated. 

Also speaking, Mrs Vivian Aphiare said, "The number of police road blocks from their division to Oteri are over five and for that reason, no tricycle or Keke would want to come towards the community. 

"As that is not enough, they would come into the community to arrest our people illegally and when you gets to the station to make inquiry, they will ask you to bail your wards between the sum of N150,000 to N200,000.

"We were actually protesting to the palace to meet and complain to our royal father about the activities of the police but on getting to the from of the police station, the police shot tear gas toward us and as that was not enough, they opened gun shot on us without any iota of provocation.

"We want the police to leave the Oteri road, because we are tired of their excesses, intimidation, illegal arrest molestation of our children and husbands."

On her part, Mama Harvest Ugbuwiako said, "We are protesting against the numerous roadblocks belonging to the police, and the illegal arrest of our children and searching of their phones for no just cause.

"The police uses Pos machine to check the accounts of our children to know how much they have in their various accounts. 

"The police have roadblock at Emurotu Isodje, GRA, Back of Government College, and front of the Ughelli Police station respectively and for that reason, no bike man, or Keke rider would be willing to come to Oteri. 

"We don't have armed robbers and Kidnappers in our community but the police are making life difficult for the people of Oteri-Ughelli as their multiple check points has made transportation to increase from N100 to N500.

"They opened tear gas on us, shot at us and one of our daughter was shot on the leg and she currently on admission at Ughelli Central Hospital, many others were physically injured.

"Police are meant to mount roadblock at the end of a community and not at the centre of a town. They took three mobile phones of our children, IPhone 13, Iphone 8 and 12, beat our woman Secretary with planks.

"They planked other women with wood and they are currently receiving treatment at different places. We do not want police on our roads again." She insisted. 

Lamenting the torture of the police on them, the President General of Oteri-Ughelli community, Hon. Erakpofoke Peter said, "What happened today was a peaceful protest by the women to tell the world that they no longer need police in Oteri because of their mishaps of illegal extortion.

"Their activities in Oteri community is extremely inhuman and we want to beg the government that we are no longer interested in the police station, they should look for a new site to go and leave our land. 

"Our women no longer go to the market and when the new DPO was posted here, I told him about our challenges and he saw reasons with me and promised that he was going to do something about it. 

"The women came out to protest against what the police did in Oteri, they destroyed the young man's properties, his television and carted away so many things from the apartment. 

"The activities of the police has gone so bad that as from 9:pm, you will never see a bike or Keke coming to Oteri because of their extortion, brutalisation, molestation and illegal arrest and as a result they could not go market again and that is their grievances."

Those currently on admission are, Valentine Adomi 24, Edith Itive 37, Akaeze Joy 22, 
Loveth Brown-Tate, 42, with injury on her right eye, and Mrs Lucky Philip 48 with injury on her right hand and many others.

Contacted for reaction, Delta State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Bright Edafe did not respond to phone calls to his mobile phone as at press time.