The Delta State Police Command is facing serious allegations following the reported abduction and brutalisation of Onduku Charles Oyinbi, Vice President of the Ijaw Publishers Forum (IPF), by members of the Ovwian Anti-Cult Group. The incident occurred on October 4, 2024, in his barbing salon located on Sakilo, off Old Ekete Road, Ovwian.
In a letter addressed to the Commissioner of Police on Monday, the solicitors for Oyinbi stated that he was forcibly taken from his shop by four armed members of the anti-cult volunteers, who accused him of being involved in vandalising their patrol van. Along with a female visitor, Oyinbi was allegedly paraded around the area for hours before being taken to a police station, where they were reportedly coerced into paying a ransom of 20,000 naira.
The harrowing account describes severe brutality, including the use of tear gas that exacerbated Oyinbi’s previous eye injury, leading to his collapse. The assault allegedly left him with a bruised eye, which had recently undergone surgery.
The legal representatives of Oyinbi are demanding justice and accountability from the authorities regarding the incident.
Read the full letter below:
(Superior Chamber) LEGAL PRACTITIONERS/ACTIVIST House 5 Human Right Arena by Victory School, Opposite Plantation City, Otokutu. Ughelli South Local Government Area of Delta State.
7th October, 2024
THE COMMISSIONER OF POLICE
DELTA STATE POLICE COMMAND,
ASABA.
ATTENTION :
THE DIVISIONAL POLICE OFFICER
POLICE DIVISIONAL HEADQUARTER,
OVWIAN,
DELTA STATE.
SIR,
IN THE CASE OF ABDUCTION, BRUTALIZATION OF ONDUKU CHARLES OYINBI, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE IJAWS PUBLISHERS FORUMBY MEMBERS OF THE OVWIAN ANTI-CULT GROUP ON THE 4TH OF OCTOBER, 2024.
We are solicitors to Onduku Onyibi Charles who shall herein after be referred to as our client on whose firm instruction and behalf we hereby write and deliver this letter to you.
It is our instruction that our client is a respected law abiding citizen and the Vice President of the reverend Ijaw Publishers’ Forum (IPF) and Editor in Chief of Niger Delta Mirror news outfit. He also owns and operates a barbing saloon and a Point of Sales (POS) outlet.
- That our client was on the 4th of October, 2024 in his barbing saloon located at Sakilo, off old Ekete road, Ovwian, Delta State when about four armed members of the anti-cult volunteers stormed his shop and dragged him with them alongside his female visitor with his at that point in time which was about 8:45pm in a manner that smacks of abduction on allegation of being among the people who vandalized their patrol van.
- That they raided some other persons in the area with whom they paraded our client within the area and beyond for several hours before they were taken to the police station when they were made to part with the sum of twenty thousand naira only.
- That our client and his female guest were subjected to severe brutality as his left eye was bruised and the said eye just underwent an operation and they teargas the same eye leading to his collapse that led to his release from the police detention facility.
- That at the point of moving our client from the shop, he was not allowed to lock up the shop as the same was deliberately intended to justify the looting of his shop as the sum of four hundred and fifty thousand kept in his shop for his POS business was also carted away by them.
We demand justice.
IGHO OGEDEGBE, BSO
……….
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