Warri DPO accused of demanding N300,0000 as bail, police debunk claim

•Insist on transferring suspects, despite court release order

A Divisional Police Officer of Ebrumede in Effurun-Warri Delta state has been accused of demanding Three Hundred Thousand Naira, (N300.000.00) for bail for two brothers in his custody, despite the emphasis that bail is free.

Meanwhile, the Delta State Police Command has debunked the allegation in a statement that was sent to a Congress correspondent on Saturday.

The police spokesman, DSP Bright Edafe said the accused brothers were trying to invade justice, stating that they would be transferred to Asaba for further investigation as regards the missing young man in the community.

The family of the two accused persons had protested that the DPO refused to release their children despite the court release order by Magistrate Court Effurun division, adding that he is rather insisting to transfer the two brothers after receiving the court order.

It would be recalled that the Chief Magistrate Presiding over the Magistrate Court Effurun, Delta State had ordered the release of the two brothers EMMANUEL ODUEME and EBENEZER ODUEME arrested on the 30th day of October 2022.

In an application made to the Chief Magistrate by the office of OGEDEGBE & OGEDEGBE, the counsel for the applicants urged the court to grant them bail as they have been in custody since the 30th day of October 2022.

However, the facts of the case were revealed in the affidavit to the effect that the applicants were attacked by one Stanley who stabbed one of the two brothers and they were all taken to the Uvwie community secretariat.

According to the accused counsel, the alleged missing boy travelled the very next day only for the family members to arrest the applicants that the boy was missing.

He explained: “They were arrested at Ebrumede police station where the police demanded the payment of Three Hundred Thousand Naira only for their release from the poor family.

“The court ordered that they should be released as the Chief Magistrate had earlier ordered the release of the boys on his visit to the station but the DPO refused to comply.

“He insists that he will transfer the two brothers if the Three Hundred Thousand Naira is not provided as bail,” the statement urged.

Reacting to the development, the Director General (DG) of the Conference For The Actualization of Human Rights, CAHR, Omes Ogedegbe Esq
DG said, “Two young men EMMANUEL ODUEME and EBENEZER ODUEME were arrested at the Ebrumede police station.
The facts revealed as follows Stanley a neighbour to them stabbed Emma on the 28th of October, 2022 and the Uwvie community executives took them to the secretariat, and the Stanley family was made to pay a fine for his action.

“The next day he carried his bag threw unprintable words at them locked his door and left.
The next day 30/10/22 the family brought the police of Ebrumede to arrest the named boys, one other, and the landlord that the boy is missing.
While in police custody the Chief Magistrate visited the station and directed they should be arraigned or granted bail.

“A lawyer from our office directly handling the matter met with the officer but they were not released. They applied to the Magistrate court and the Magistrate directed the boys should be granted bail until their arraignment as provided for under the ACJA 2017. But the police of Ebrumede division are still acting in disobedience to the court orders. This is unacceptable.
We must observe court orders in compliance and not in breach.

“When I joined the Chief Magistrate to Enerhen police station I commended the DPO as a shining personality as the police complied with the directives of the court in compliance and not in breach.

The counsel of the two brothers, Omes Ogedegbe Esq in response stated that the boys cannot be accused of kidnapping when the police claimed the boy in question is missing and had not contacted anybody.

According to him, “the family claimed the police demanded the sum of Three Hundred Thousand Naira from them which they could not raise hence the landlord and one other was released while the two brothers were detained.

His words, “Sad enough m
is the Ebrumede division telling us the Uwvie community is above the Nigeria police force that the police cannot go and arrest the community youths whom they claim have the boy.

“The version of the police is a desperate move to justify the subversion of justice.”

When contacted, the police spokesman said the two brothers had an issue with a certain person, stressing that the detained brothers brought youths of the Uvwie community to invade the person’s house and moved him away.

According to the police, the victim called his brother and informed him that unless he comes quickly, they might not meet him at home.

Edafe explained that the police arrested the two brothers because of the missing man, adding that up till now the victim had not been found.

He further said that no DPO demanded Three Hundred Thousand Naira (N300,000) from anybody, adding that the two brothers would be transferred to the force headquarters in Asaba to be investigated for kidnapping.

Edafe noted that the detained two brothers were trying to invade justice, adding that the police would ensure they would be punished for their crime.