Ben Dunno, Warri
The Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of Ovwian-Aladja police station in Udu council in Delta state, CSP Anietie Eyoh, has warned members of Delta State branch of Committee for Defence of Human Rights (CDHR) not to approach him to solicit release of suspects caught committing internet fraud, otherwise known as ‘yahoo.’
Handing down the warning when the Udu unit of the body paid him a courtesy visit in his office at the weekend, the DPO said he was amazed over his recent discovery that a very large number of CDHR members in the state were either cultists or involved in ‘Yahoo.’
He noted that CDHR happened to be one of the human rights groups he held in a high esteem in the country and that explains why he was close to some of the members on arrival in the state but was disappointed when he later realised that most of its members in the state were made up of questionable characters.
According to him “it is on record that anytime a cyber-crime offender or suspected cultists was being arrested, member of CDHR comes around to demand their release based on the excuse that they are members of CDHR; but I would no longer condone this from members of this body.
“As my friends in CDHR, based on the respect I’ve had for the body long before now, there are crimes that are committed that I would no longer give a listening ear to the plea by the members again. This is in order to try as much as possible to restore the glory of the body in the state in my own little way.
“If a member approaches me over minor offences that have to do with traffic, fighting or tenancy disagreements, I would look into it but if the case has to do with cybercrime, armed robbery, cultism, murder or rape, please I wouldn’t want to see any CDHR members coming to my office to intervene because I would no longer tolerate that henceforth,” he warned.
Earlier in his opening remark, the Coordinator of Udu Unit of CDHR, Comrade Derrick Agberen, had expressed joy over his recent posting to the area, stating that they have always had confidence in his crime-fighting professional skills.
“Furthermore, we are obliged to inform you that the leadership of CDHR Udu as part of our mission has decided to partner genuine personalities like you in searching for a practical and lasting solution to the numerous challenges affecting Udu Local Government Area in particular.
“Cultism has eaten deep into the streets of Udu; guns are now like GSM phones, armed and unarmed robbers and numerous forms of violence are now too common to us here unlike before,” he stated.