Reps panel probe ASP Usman over alleged, extortion, rights abuse of Kwale community
By Jonathan Lois
House of Representatives Committee on Public Petition has been directed to probe Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), Ogbegbe Usman over alleged dehumanisation and brutalization of the citizenry in Kwale community of Delta state.
The decision was based on a petition on the matter submitted by Mr. Nnamdi Ezechi on behalf of aggrieved members of the community, during a plenary presided by Speaker Tajudeen Abass.
Ezechi, representing Ndokwa/Ukwuani federal constituency of Delta state, in the petition, alleged that Usman had been harassing young boys within Kwale and the surrounding communities and extorting from them, their hard earned money at every given opportunities.
He claimed that Usman’s ungodly activities came to an unbearable state on the 24th day of September, at about 2:00 pm when he moved without provocation, against Mr. Victor Ezechi, a staff of Sterling Exploration & Energy Production Company (SEEPCO) for an unknown offence.
According to the petitioner’s solicitors, “In his normal trade in stock just same way he has kept the communities in perpetual attacks, arrested our client in front of his house, forcefully demanded for search without warrant and ransacked his house, with his men acting on his instruction, beat him up and inflicted injuries of different degrees on him while shooting sporadically, before arresting and taking him to Police custody.
“To this end, we now not only complain on behalf of our client who is just a victim amongst many, but use this complaint to call for your urgent intervention as most young men within the Kwale and environs now live in fear of death and daily attacks.
“It might also suffice to mention that most of the complaints has always been hinged on extortion, which has instilled fear to the young men and women, who no longer feel free to move about especially with money as he often threatens with a boast that he represents SARS in the community and has the protection of his superiors whom he is working for.
“It suffices to point out the fact that, he operates without restraint from anybody, not even his immediate senior Police officers as he claims to have senior godfathers backing him, such that, it took the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) to secure our client’s release after he was brutalised and taken into custody.
“That he is notorious for inappropriate dressing as he hardly puts on his uniform and brags about his ownership of several magazines of ammunition which he uses at random as earlier stated.
“In view of the above, we write with serious concern with demand that you give urgent attention to this petition, ensuring justice is done and that the responsible officer and his team is called for investigation and appropriate sanctions meted out.”
