DPO, 3 cops face trial over loss of arms, ammunition

A Divisional Police Officer (DPO) and three other po­licemen are facing trial over the loss of arms and ammu­nition.

According to investiga­tions, the Police officers attached to the Amassoma Division have been facing trial as a fallout of the armed attack on the Amassoma Po­lice Division during which cache of arms and ammuni­tion were carted away.

The same hoodlums after the attack on the Police sta­tion had attacked a commer­cial bank with dynamites.

The officers, if found guilty could be dismissed from the force for dereliction of duty or demoted.
A human right group, Zu­onaki Human Rights Initia­tives (ZUHURI), yesterday slammed the authorities of the state police command over its decision to suspend and subject the officers to trial over the incident.

According to ZUHURI, though, the police authorities have refused to explain the reasons for the disciplinary actions against the affected officers, the wrongful arrest and trial of the affected po­licemen over the loss of arms and ammunition during the invasion by suspected sea pirates is unnecessary and wicked.

The group, in a statement issued yesterday by its Na­tional Coordinator, Comrade Ebiserikumo Gbasa, accused the authorities of the state po­lice command of witch hunt­ing the officers involved.

“The DPO and his men of Ijaw extraction are under­going trial; the State Com­missioner of Police should have carried out a thorough investigation in an unbiased and professional manner to determine what transpired during the invasion of the Amassoma Divisional Police headquarters and the bank.”

“Rather than stand by his men, who were on official duty, the Police authori­ties have applied a bias and prejudiced process that is ex­pected to find the set of repu­table officers wanting and dismiss them. The alleged and wrongfully accused offi­cers and men are undergoing trial solely designed to rub­bish and tarnish their image and reputations” the state­ment said.

Gbasa called on the In­spector-General of Police, Solomon Arase, to review the charges against the af­fected officers and stop the bias trial.