No fewer than five women from Oteri community in Ughelli North Local Government Area of Delta State are currently in a critical state at the Central Hospital Ughelli as police attached to the Ughelli Area Command allegedly opened fire on them during a protest.

The protesters armed with leaves, accused the police from Ughelli Area of illegal arrest, molestation, and intimidation.

Speaking from her hospital bed, Miss Valentine Adomi, 24, a tailor, said, “I was on my way to the market to buy materials when I saw my family people at the front of the police station, and I alighted from the motorcycle to inquire from them why they were there.

“Immediately, I heard sounds of gunshots and tear gas, and I saw people running, and I was also running back. I felt something touch my leg that made me not be able to run.

“I heard people shouting that I had been shot on my right leg by the police. They rushed me to Central Hospital Ughelli after I lost much blood,” she stated.

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Also speaking, Mrs. Vivian Aphiare said, “The number of police road blocks from their division to Oteri is over five, and for that reason, no tricycle or Keke would want to come towards the community.

“As if that is not enough, they would come into the community to arrest our people illegally, and when you get to the station to make an inquiry, they will ask you to bail your wards between the sum of N150,000 to N200,000.

“We were actually protesting to the palace to meet and complain to our royal father about the activities of the police, but on getting to the front of the police station, the police shot tear gas toward us, and as if that was not enough, they opened gunshots on us without any iota of provocation.

“We want the police to leave the Oteri Road because we are tired of their excesses, intimidation, and illegal arrest and molestation of our children and husbands.”

On her part, Mama Harvest Ugbuwiako said, “We are protesting against the numerous roadblocks belonging to the police, the illegal arrest of our children, and the searching of their phones for no just cause.

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“The police use the PoS machine to check the accounts of our children to know how much they have in their various accounts.

“The police have roadblock at Emurotu Isodje, GRA, Back of Government College, and front of the Ughelli Police station respectively, and for that reason, no biker or Keke rider would be willing to come to Oteri.

“We don’t have armed robbers and kidnappers in our community, but the police are making life difficult for the people of Oteri-Ughelli as their multiple check points caused transportation to increase from N100 to N500.

“They opened tear gas on us, shot at us, and one of our daughters was shot on the leg, and she is currently on admission at Ughelli Central Hospital. Many others were physically injured.

“Police are meant to mount roadblocks at the end of a community and not at the center of a town. They took three mobile phones of our children, iPhone 13, iPhone 8 and iPhone 12—and beat our woman secretary with planks.

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“They planked other women with wood, and they are currently receiving treatment at different places. We do not want police on our roads again.” She insisted.

Lamenting the torture of the police on them, the President General of the Oteri-Ughelli community, Hon. Erakpofoke Peter, said, “What happened today was a peaceful protest by the women to tell the world that they no longer need police in Oteri because of their illegal extortion.

“Their activities in the Oteri community are extremely inhuman, and we want to beg the government that we are no longer interested in the police station; they should look for a new site to go and leave our land.

“Our women no longer go to the market and when the new DPO was posted here, I told him about our challenges, and he saw reasons with me and promised that he was going to do something about it.

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“The women came out to protest against what the police did in Oteri, they destroyed the young man’s properties, his television, and carted away so many things from the apartment.

“The activities of the police has gone so bad that as of 9:00 p.m., you will never see a bike or Keke coming to Oteri because of their extortion, brutalisation, molestation and illegal arrest and as a result, they could not go market again, and that is their grievances.”

Those currently on admission are, Valentine Adomi 24, Edith Itive 37, Akaeze Joy 22,

Loveth Brown-Tate, 42, with an injury to her right eye, Mrs. Lucky Philip, 48, with an injury to her right hand; and many others.

Contacted for reaction, Delta State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Bright Edafe, did not respond to phone calls to his mobile phone as at press time.
VANGUARD

A Benin High Court on Monday ordered the remand of one Osasumwen Vincent, who allegedly defiled 11 years old at Correctional Custodian Centre, in Benin.

The 30-year-old suspect was arraigned on one count charge boardering on rape.

The state prosecutor, Mrs Hamma Iyamu earlier said the suspect sometimes in October 2022 at Ohovbe Quarters in Benin Juridical Division forcefully raped the 11-years old girl.

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According to the prosecution, the suspect committed an offence contrary to section 4 and punishable under section 5 (1)of the Edo State Violence Against persons (prohibition) law
,2021.

He, however, but pleaded not guilty.

Justice Efe Ikponmwonba, subsequently, ordered his remand at the correctional facility and adjourned the case until June 10 for hearing.

The mother of the late four-year-old Miguel Ovoke, who recently died at the BrickHall School located in the Cadastral Zone B11, Kaura, in Abuja, on Monday, stormed the school in the company of others to protest the death of her son.

The mother of the deceased four-year-old Miguel protesting.
The lady alleged that the school authorities were covering up on the incident, which led to the death of their late pupil.

In clips making the rounds on social media, the bereaved mother, dressed in all-black, displayed a cardboard reading, ‘We Need Justice For Miguel, BrickHall School Kill Miguel.’

“18 students for one class where I dey pay N350,000,” she said in one of the videos.

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In another video showing staff members of the school, she went from one staff member to another, identifying them as the people responsible for covering up her son’s death.

“See the head teacher,” she said. Moving from the head headteacher to another staffer, she said, “See who lie for doctor say my pikin dey for hospital, na this man lie for doctor ooo. Doctor say my pikin no die for hospital. Na who carry my pikin dead body go hospital.”

A police officer who was seen in one of the videos asked her, “If your matter is in CID, why are you here?”

Ovoke died on the school premises during feeding hours.

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The mother of the deceased four-year-old Miguel protesting.

According to the death certificate dated April 24, 2024, issued by Excel Specialist Hospital, Abuja, which was sighted by our correspondent, Ovoke was brought to the hospital by his teachers around 11 am in an unconscious state.

The medical report, signed by Dr. Akinwande Ajayi, on behalf of the medical director, indicated that he was brought in, “on account of aspiration on meat while feeding at school.”

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The hospital said upon examination, the medical team found that the boy’s pupils were fixed and dilated, with a nonreactive response to light.

His peripheral pulses were said to be “impalpable, blood pressure was unrecordable, and there was no cardiopulmonary activity or respiratory excursions, silent chest.”

The report indicated that all efforts of the medical team to resuscitate him failed.

The report concluded that he was “Brought in Dead.”