By Austin Ogwuda
A young woman believed to be pregnant was allegedly killed by a stray bullet in Abraka, Delta State, Nigeria at a check point mounted by operatives of ‘Operation Delta Sweep’ Patrol team.
According to a report, a car without a number plate was flagged down by the Patrol team but the driver refused.
As a result, one of the members of the team in anger opened fire which was alleged to have hit the woman seated at the front.
Following the sad incident, some angry youths stormed a Divisional Police Station in the area but retreated when they were informed that it was not the Police per se but Operation Delta Sweep.
However, the Director General of Delta State Security, David Tonwe has called for calm and gave further clarification regarding the unfortunate incident..
According to him, the unfortunate event was not intentional and emphasized that the vehicle in question had no registration number.
The vehicle, he said, was first spotted on the road without a number plate. When the patrol team at a checkpoint attempted to stop the vehicle, the driver, in a reckless manner, refused to comply and sped off.
The team immediately alerted the next patrol unit to intercept the vehicle. However, the driver again refused to stop at the second checkpoint and in the process, nearly knocked down a Naval officer on duty, driving over the officer’s leg. In response, the officer discharged his firearm.
Tonwe further stated that “It is important to clearly state that Operation Delta Sweep did not kill any pregnant woman. During the effort to halt the unregistered vehicle, a stray bullet from the officer’s gun struck a young woman seated at the passenger seat of the vehicle.
“Officers at the scene promptly rushed the victim to a private hospital, but she reportedly did not receive adequate medical attention and was subsequently taken to Eku Hospital. This was confirmed by the Officer in Charge of the Abraka Police Station”.
He called on the public to disregard false information circulating online to the effect that a pregnant woman was killed by Operation Delta Sweep personnel in Abraka.
Creation of Operation Delta Sweep
Delta State Governor, Rt Hon Sheriff Oborevwori had on November 18, 2024 presented 31 operational vehicles to the Inspector General of Police, IGP Kayode Egbetokun to enhance the joint security operations in the State, code named – ‘Operation Delta Sweep’.
According to the Governor, the donation was triggered by the general insecurity being experienced in the country and urged the security agencies to work together to ensure effective security in the state.
Said he, “In my MORE Agenda, I promised Deltans that we would enhance peace and security and as part of this commitment, we are rebranding the operation formerly known as ‘Delta Hawk’ to ‘Operation Delta Sweep’ and this rebranding underscores our renewed focus and strategy.
*Additional report from: Guild Africa word press.com
