By Omena Obe
The police commissioner recently posted to Delta state, Anthony Michael Ogbizi, may be treading on a dangerous ground following certain actions which chairman of the Delta state chapter of the Committee for the Defense of Human Rights, Comrade Prince Kehinde Taiga, has raised against him in the performance of his duties.
Taiga is alleging that since the commissioner was posted to the state in less than two months, extortion, illegal arrests, undue detention and intimidation have increased as suspects have been kept longer than necessary while they are being fleeced of money against the provisions of the law.
He further alleged that the commissioner is acting in total disregard for the rule of law, insisting that the setting up of special operation squad was put to together specially to extort money from suspects rather than fighting crime in the state.
Taiga, who fought a former commissioner of police, Ibrahim Zanna, leading to the visit of a special IG team from Abuja to Asaba, said the special operation squad was formed to arrest young men who are seen driving good cars and rope them with the name “yahoo boys” and extort money from them.
He also alleged that the police commissioner has changed 55 percent of the divisional police officers who are CSPs to SPs primarily to extort money for him.
According to him: “The police commissioner is in Delta state to extort money from Delta people and not to fight crime or criminality. Delta state police officers are not respecting administration of criminal justice.
“The special operation squad obtains statements from suspects without allowing them to call their lawyers and rendering suspects incommunicado which is against the law.”
He said innocent people are being detained for over six to seven days at B-Division in Warri by the special operation squad whose principal purpose is to extort money from them.
He identified one Monday Eboh who has been detained for six days alleging that the officers refused releasing him pending an order from the state commissioner of police.
Following these weighty allegations, Taiga is calling for the removal of Ogbizi and redeployment of a more transparent police commissioner to the state
