The Delta State Commissioner of Police, CP Wale Abass has been urged by a Warri-based legal practitioner, Chief Robinson to immediately order an inquiry over the attempted murder and assault occasioning grievous bodily injuries on his client, Mr. Victor Igbekele by one Inspector of police.
The lawyer said the police boss should allow the standard procedures for incidences of this nature to run its full course without prejudice to other remedies.
It would be recalled that on the 5th of December, 2023, the said Mr. Victor Igbekele was shot and injured by policemen at Ekrerhavwe junction along the East-West section of Ughelli road.
Nigeriacrime.com learnt that in a swift intervention, the Delta State Commissioner of Police led by CP Wale Abass through the Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Bright Edafe ordered the immediate detention of the erring officer just as he assured members of the public of Justice.
He also noted that the Force, being a disciplined organization, will not condone such cruel action by any member of the Force, assuring that the offending officer will be subjected to internal disciplinary measures including criminal prosecution.
Ariyo in his petition to CP Abass said his client who is the Chief Executive Officer of OVB Gallery, a reputable clothing brand that has wide business coverage in and beyond Nigeria and her neighbouring Countries was travelling from Warri to Ughelli at the above location when he was stopped by Policemen at a checkpoint.
He said his client surrendered his car and person for inspection by the team of Police Officers on the spot, in the course of which exercise, the said Police Officers thoroughly searched every component of our clients’ and vehicle particulars, and after being satisfied permitted our client to proceed with his trip.
“That, however, no sooner than our client resumed his trip upon the said permission than our client was again stopped a few inches from the initial spot by another member of the same patrol team whose identity by name, our client recalls as Inspector Prince;
“Our client’s frantic attempt to explain to the said Inspector Prince that his colleagues a few inches away had already conducted a thorough stop and check exercise on our client was to no avail as Inspector Prince became instantly infuriated and immediately pounced on our client, shot at our client multiple times hitting our client’s abdomen and knee in addition to the assorted damage done to our client’s vehicle in the course of the said assault.
“That consequent upon the development in paragraph (3) above, our Client was immediately rushed to the Central Hospital Ughelli, where the medical team on duty upon assessing the gravity of the injury sustained by our client in the circumstances referred our Client to a Specialist Private Clinic where our client has been receiving treatments till date. Attached herewith and marked as Annexure “AA” is a Compact Disc storage device, showing some parts of the video footage and still photographs of the said Police Officer and the state of our client at the scene of the said assault and soon thereafter at the hospital.
“Our Client has undergone and is still undergoing serval medical procedures including surgery in the abdomen and other parts of his body arising from the unwanted ferocious attack by Inspector Prince in the above-described circumstances.
“The above facts adumbrated, the medical team in charge of the treatment of our client has expressed the opinion that the chances of the survival of our client in the circumstances are very low and this has expectedly ushered our client’s relations and friends into panic mood occasioning intense anxiety, and psychologically traumatic experience arising therefrom.”