By Our Reporters
Three journalists in Delta state have been attacked and brutalized by police officers from the Ughelli A’ division under the watch of the DPO, CSP Asanaenyi Ibok in Ughelli North Local government area of Delta state.
The attacked Journalists are,Andrew Unutame of Galaxy TV, Joel Grandball of Pointer Newspaper, Michael Veloh of an online news platform, Politicsgovernance.com while covering the town hall meeting between APC governorship candidate, Sen Ovie Omo-Agege and some selected religious leaders at St Lazarus Christ Church, Ughelli.
The attack on the journalists was led by a police officer, ASP Edet K. Emmanuel under the watch of the Divisional Police Officer, CSP Asanaenyi Ibok at Oduaran street in Ughelli North local government area of Delta state.
After much brutalization of the journalists, the DPO, asked the three journalists to see him in his office tomorrow (today)
Narrating their ordeal at the hands of police officers, Comrade Andrew Unutame of Galaxy TV said, “I am and my other colleagues, Joel Grandball, Pointer, and Michael Veloh Politicsgovernance.com an online news platform were returning from an event and encounter a hold up at Oduaran street junction.
“I came down from the vehicle to control the traffic to ease movement and to my surprise, the officer with the name tag, E.K Emmanuel and other cracked their guns threatening shoot at me.
“My colleague who came down from the vehicle were also attacked and brutalized with gun boots, the shoes of Michael Veloh were destroyed, while Joel Grandball was hit on his right eyes.
On his ordeal, Joel Grandball of the Pointer Newspaper said, “When i saw how the police were hitting my colleague, i went to plead with them at Oduaran junction that we are there to help in controlling the traffic, before i could finish talking, same E.K Emmanuel slapped me, and his order colleague hit me on the stomach with boot if his gun.
“As that was not enough, while we were narrating to the DPO, they came beating us in his presence, Emmanuel and others descended on me like a common criminal.
“E.K Emmanuel and other officers at the presence of the DPO threatened to kill us and nothing would happen, while another officer in plain uniform held that he will only served for a year after if he kills any of us.
“The Divisional Police Officer, CSP Asanaenyi Ibok who could not resolved the issue asked us to see him in his office tomorrow (Tuesday)”
“We are calling the Inspector General of Police, Delta State Commissioner of Police, Ari Mohammed Ari to investigate the matter and bring to book the police officer, E.K Emmanuel to save the life of journalists in the state.
“Today it has happened to us in Ughelli, and probably it might also happened to our other colleagues that are on official assignment just like us. As we have some bad element in the police force like E.K Emmanuel and his like.”
