By Austin Ogwuda
Delta State Police command has broken silence on the rampaging kidnap activities along Sapele/Agbor road axis in Delta State.
In recent time, The Town Hall Media gathered that many motorists have abandoned that route to an alternative one which has turned into a nightmare for commutters.
It was that same road that the Delta State Commissioner for Environment was alleged to have escaped from the kidnappers’ grip which he promptly denied.
Also there are viral video clips circulating online to the effect that 20 persons were kidnapped and 10 killed on the same road.
But reacting, the Delta State Police command’s spokesman, Bright Edafe, a deputy Superintendent of Police, in a press statement released this evening Tuesday, said the kidnapping of twenty persons and the killing of ten persons as stated in the viral audio clip is false and an obvious exaggeration by the narrator.
The press statement reads in full:
“In response to the viral audio clip being circulated on Whatsapp and other social media platforms, the Commissioner of Police Delta State, CP Wale Abass psc today 12/9/2023 directed the Deputy Commissioner of Police Operations, DCP Johnson Adenola, the Area Commanders of Agbor and Sapele Area Commands respectively to embark on an on-the-spot assessment of the Ugbehwore town in Jesse Ethiope West LGA, Delta State. “They are to access the security architecture and identify grey areas where reinforcement is to be emplaced.
“The CP also directed the immediate deployment of tactical teams to complement the efforts of the DPO in the area; to nip this ugly trend in the bud, and to ensure that road users ply the road without fear of being kidnapped.
“The Command while appreciating the effort of members of the public for bringing this to the attention of the command, wishes to debunk a part of the clip stating that twenty persons were kidnapped, and ten persons killed as false and an exaggeration of the happenings in the area.
“The Command is working in close collaboration with the Edo State Police Command as the area in question is a boundary between Edo State and Delta State. Members of the public are assured of the command’s commitment to providing security for all and ensuring that our roads are completely safe for road users.
“In line with the popular saying: “IF YOU SEE SOMETHING, SAY SOMETHING”, the Commissioner of Police Delta State CP Wale Abass solicits the support of members of the public by way of giving useful, credible, and timely information. “He further reiterates that perpetrators of this heinous act are surely in cahoot with some indigenes of the land. Hence, he urges the traditional rulers, community heads, and local leaders to sensitize members of the community on the consequences of conspiring with criminals, and the legal implications”, the statement from the Police added.
The Police spokesman was however silent on the alleged kidnap escape by the Delta State Commissioner for Environment, Mr. Jamani Tommy Ejiro.
Recall that The Town Hall Media reported that Commissioner Ejiro was terribly disturbed by the news report circulating online over alleged attempt by kidnappers to seize him along Jesse-Oben Road.
That following series of calls and messages, he debunked same through a press release forwarded to news men by his Special Assistant, Mr. Victor Abugo describing the report as “false, fictitious and callous which is the handiwork of mischief makers with their evil machination intended to achieve their devilish aims”.
While saying that he never took that route as claimed by one online faceless Facebook Reporter (names withheld) the Commissioner simply alluded that “it was perhaps the plan of the writer for him to have been kidnapped for reasons best known to him”.
