By Austin Ogwuda
…. threatens to sue and as well report the CP and PPRO to Police Service Commission for misconduct
…gives 14 days ultimatum to the Police command to retract the story linking him with the killing
… says this is not the first time the CP has been targeting him
BARELY 48 hours after the Delta State Police Command’s Spokesman, Bright Edafe released a press statement accusing the Owelle of Onicha-Olona, Chief Jerry Nkeweshe of allegedly invading a disputed parcel of land with armed thugs resulting to the death of three youths in Asaba, the Chief has reacted from an unknown destination through his lawyer.
Recall that Bright declared that the command had mounted a manhunt in search of Chief Jerry Nkeweshe in connection with the bloodbath.
However in another twist, Chief Jerry Nkeweshe spoke through his lawyer at a press briefing in Asaba on Wednesday and opened up a can of worms.
The briefing:
“My name is Kerechi Nnadi, a Lawyer and Head of S. Kerechi Nnadi and Co. This briefing is in response to the publication by the Police Public Relations Officer accusing my client, Chief Jerry Nkeweshe, of allegedly murdering about three youths at Okwe over a piece of land
“Unfortunately, my client was not near Asaba or Okwe or anywhere around this area throughout Monday.
“He was at Umunede attending to his health and was there in the company of certain persons whose names I am not permitted to mention.
“How come he led armed men to recover a piece of land in Okwe when he is not the owner of the said land?”.
Continuing, the lawyer said that “It was Olufemi Abaniwonda, the Commissioner of Police, who authorized some policemen to go to Okwe to execute the recovery of land.
“He had meetings with the people before he deployed the police yesterday, in his office on the 19th of November. Let him deny it.
“So does it mean he asked them to dress in military camouflage to go and kill people? So the Commissioner of Police is complicit in the death of the youths that died at Okwe. Let him deny it. We have intelligence reports.
“The last time, he (CP) connived with the Chairman of Aniocha North, Hon. Emmanuel Chinye Bazim, to cook up a fake and fictitious allegation of cyber-terrorism against my client. The matter only subsided after pressure was mounted on the Inspector General of Police, who directed the AIG to investigate.
“The truth came to light that there was no such publication by my client, not in any place, in any format, in any blogosphere.
“The current development represented another attempt to damage my client’s reputation.
“This is not the second time the Commissioner of Police is attempting and doing this in the territory of the totalitarian image of my client. I will not allow this to slide.
“We are going to take action against the Commissioner of Police for defamation and for framing him up in a manner which he is criminally responsible and complicit.
“We are also going to write to him to retract this publication within 14 days, failure of which we are going to sue him and sue Bright Edafe apart from taking other actions before the Police Service Commission.
“Is that how to police a State? You go to press and put a man’s life in harm’s way. The family of those who died may target this man and kill him, accusing him when he never did any such thing”, the lawyer stated.
Continuing, he said, “We are asking the press to please balance their report and do investigation on their own. Who owns the land? Their names are not hidden from the Commissioner of Police. He met with both sides on the 19th in his office. So if somebody died there, he should know who to arrest.
“There is no connection whatever with the land. We are in Court over that issue. Let the Commissioner of Police provide the killers”, the lawyer stated.
Contacted, the PPRO, Bright Edafe challenged Chief Jerry Nkeweshe to come out of hiding, report to the Police station and prove his innocence if he felt he was wrongly accused.
*Source: Gallant Reporters
