The Delta State Police Command has rejected the purported death of 14 people and the kidnapping of 15 others by gunmen in Owa-Ekei, Ika North-East Local Government Area.
In a viral video, the commander of the Owa-Ekei vigilante, Mr. Benjamin Samuel, alleged that a ring of kidnappers was terrorising the area, killing and kidnapping locals.
However, the police command has asked the public to dismiss the assertions made in the film, stressing that they were just falsehoods intended to instill fear in the population.
According to a statement issued by the command’s Public Relations Officer, SP Bright Edafe, a preliminary inquiry into the claims determined that the occurrences of murder and kidnapping described by Mr. Samuel were fictitious.
According to Edafe, the vigilante commander was probed, and “it was established that he told these untrue stories based on what he was told without clarification, which ultimately misled members of the public and further instilled fear in the hearts of the good people of Delta State.”
“Though his claim regarding the kidnapping and murder of one of his members is true, blowing it out of proportion by exaggerating the number is unacceptable.”
According to Edafe, the state Commissioner of Police, Abaniwonda Olufemi, “appealed to members of the public, particularly indigenes of Ika to remain calm, assuring that under his watch, the command would do everything possible to safeguard the lives and properties of all Deltans.
“He further added that he has tasked officers and men of the command to boost the security architecture of the state.
“Conclusively, the CP warns everyone who engages in circulating false stories capable of upsetting the security of the state, that the command will move against them and ensure that they are brought to book.
“Nonetheless, the public is urged to remain vigilant and to notify the police of any suspicious activity, person or movement in their environment.”