By Austin Ogwuda
BARELY a week after the ugly Okuama incident took place, Delta State Police Commissioner Olufemi Abaniwonda has lamented his inability to access the community and needed to get clearance first to enter both Okuama and Okoloba due to military operations.
This alarming disclosure was made Wednesday while fielding questions with The Arise Television crew.
According to him, “We (Police) have not been able to move into this community. Yes, it is our responsibility as the primary line of defence in internal security.
“But when you have another sister agency conducting an operation, the reasonable thing to do is to wait for them to finish.
“We have not been able for now to get into Okuama because of the volatile nature of what is presently ongoing around that environment.
“They (Army) are working hand in hand with other security agencies to make sure that those who murdered 16 soldiers are caught.
“We have been on ground, we have been supportive. We have not been missing in action. Technology has been an integral part of present day policing. These individuals are being tracked.
“Effort is being made to ensure that the perpetrators of this heinous crime are brought to book. We are working in conjunction with other security agencies and I can assure you that we are making progress.
“Most of the places”, he went on, “are deserted. I would not like to say more than that. It’s an ongoing military operation. I think when these things are ongoing, it is better that things are not said that might aggravate or pass information to those who are looking for.
“I can assure you that very soon, we will be able to get in. For us to get to Okoloba and Okuama, you would need to get clearance. So we are working on this so that we can also ensure the safety of our people who are in those environments.
“But we (Police) are on the ground, we are in our divisions, we are in our outpost, we are in our various formations. We are rendering our services, which is what the mandate of the inspector general of police is. Protection of lives and property. We are doing this. Not just in this community but all over Delta state,” he further stated.
Source: The Arise TV
