Christopher Oji
Delta State Police Commissioner, Mr. Adeyinka Adeleke, said Deltans should appreciate God for averting bomb explosions in the state.
CP Adeleke, in an interview with Daily Sun, said aside from being security-conscious, Deltans and security agents should be appreciative to God for His mercy in averting what he described as an “international embarrassment,” after security agents intercepted some bombs in the state.
“Really, no one knows the target of the hoodlums. We don’t know yet where they wanted to bomb. It may be any of the Independent National Electoral Commission’s collation centres. Wherever their target was, it would have been a serious embarrassment to the police, INEC officials, ad hoc staff, youth corps members, journalists, security agents and many other visitors.
“I have declared a manhunt for the criminals and we will soon get them. I have extended our dragnet to relevant agencies. I have invited Inspector-General of Police Intelligence Response Team (IRT) and they are working with us. We are working hard to track the evil people who brought the bomb into the state. I can assure you that we would arrest those behind the explosives. We want to know their target. The state government and the IGP are giving us all the support needed to arrest the hoodlums. I assure you, we would soon get to the root of the matter and we will shame the perpetrators.”
Adeleke, who said the elections in the state could be described as successful, noted that aside from some skirmishes in Sapele and Udu Local Government Areas, the polls were successful: “We arrested many thugs and other hoodlums, but we are still collating the number of arrests made. I cannot give the accurate number of arrests until I get briefs from every command and division.
“I know that policing Delta is not a tea party, considering the topography, multiple ethnic groups, cultism and youth restiveness in the state, but my management team has done serious research. I have contacted the Navy and the Marine Police to help navigate the riverine communities. The Navy and Marine Police are helping in that area. Where I have problem is the issue of cultism. I don’t know what people see in cultism. The rate at which cultism has spread in Delta State is alarming. I am appealing to religious organisations, traditional institutions, school authorities, youth leaders, and parents to advise their children to shun cultism and restiveness.
“I want the youths to know that crime and restiveness do not pay. A state that is restive will be chasing away investors and discouraging those coming for tourism. I want the government to carry out enlightenment campaign on the dangers of cultism, crime and restiveness. If these issues are addressed, investors would come and invest and there would be mass employment.
“I want to use this medium to warn criminals, especially armed robbers, kidnappers and cultists, that I am not in Delta State for leisure, but to carry out police duty, which is to fight crime and criminality. I am here to protect life and property.”
Adeleke said that the command, on February 21, recovered items suspected to be explosives along Ughelli/Patani Road in an unregistered Toyota Hilux pick-up truck, which refused to stop.
The police team gave the vehicle a hot chase, forcing the two occupants to abruptly stop and escape into a nearby bush. Upon thorough search of the vehicle, 128 pieces of 60mm ammunition, 156kg emulsion chemical substances and five pieces of electric detonators were discovered concealed in several bags. The Items, which were suspected to be components of explosives, have been handed over to Bomb Disposal Unit for analysis and the command has confirmed that the items were explosives.”