According to reports, at least five women from the Oteri community in Ughelli North Local Government Area of Delta State are in critical condition following gunfire by police attached to the Ughelli Area Command during a protest. The women, armed with leaves, allege intimidation, unlawful arrests, and molestation by the Ughelli Area Command police.
One of the victims, Miss Valentine Adomi, aged 24, recounted her experience from her hospital bed.
“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 gunshot and tear gas and I saw people running and I also ran back, I felt something hit my leg that made it hard for me to run.
“I heard people shouting that I had been shot in my right leg by the police. They rushed me to Central Hospital, Ughelli, after I lost much blood.”
One of the demonstrators identified as Mrs. Vivian Aphiare shed more light on the reason for the protest.
“The number of police roadblocks from their division to Oteri is over five and for that reason, no tricycle or Okada would want to come towards the community.
“As if that is not enough, they would come into the community to arrest our people illegally and when you get to the station to make an inquiry, they will ask you to bail your wards for between N150,000 and 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 front of the police station, the police shot tear gas at us and as if that was not enough, they opened fire 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.”
Speaking on the attack by the police on the peaceful protesters, the President of the Oteri-Ughelli community, 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 illegal extortion.
“Their activities in the Oteri community are 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 property, his television and carted away so many things from the apartment.
“The activities of the police have gone so bad that as from 9 p.m., 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 to market again and that is their grievances.”
The five women who are currently hospitalised include; Valentine Adomi, 24; Edith Itive, 37; Akaeze Joy, 22; Loveth Brown-Tate, 42 and Mrs. Lucky Philip, 48.