COVID-19 Curfew: Stop Extorting Deltans, CDHR Tells Police

–Wants DTSG To Shift Time To 9 p.m.

By Oguns Sammy

The Committee for the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR), Warri Branch, has cautioned the Nigeria Police Force to stop extorting members of the public under the guise of violation of the curfew order by the state governmentfrom 7p.m. daily.

Also, the rights group appealed to the Delta State Government under the leadership of Senator (Dr.) Ifeanyi Okowa to shift the curfew from 7pm to 9pm if the state cannot go by that of the federal government that starts at 10p.m.

In a chat with newsmen today (Friday), the State Secretary of the body, Comrade Jonathan Giama, alleged that the Nigeria Police Force uses the opportunity of the curfew directive to extort members of the public, saying that anyone caught flouting the curfew order in the state parts with as much as Twenty (#20,000) to Thirty Thousand Naira (# 30,000), to bail themselves, as CDHR condemned the action in its entirety.

He said: “Nigeria Police Force are extortng members of the public in the name of the curfew because many of the people arested by the police are asked to bail themselves before they are left off the hook.”

The CDHR stalwart who is aspiring to become the Chairman of the great body soonest, said the extension of the tme of the curfew became expediient as Nigeria Police Force is capitalising on the curfew which is very short to arrest members of the public in order to get so financial rewards from those arrested.

Comrade Jonathan Giama said the extension will give people ample time to attend to their daily activities before retiring to their homes.

He said: “You can imagine that people can hardly put finishing touches to their daily activities before the curfew and this is why the police now use this opportunity to extort members of the public.”

CDHR’s State Secretary cited an example which happened recently where some people who were going home from their business trip were arrested by Ovwian Police under the guise of late movement and were detained tikko the following day before they bailed themselves with thirty thousand (#30,000).

He added that some members of the CDHR were also arrested by police from the same Ovwian Police station but with the prompt intervention of the CDHR body hence they were released with ease.

He said: “You can imagine some of our members were also arrested but with quick intervention of our body, they were released free of charge.”

The body therefore appealed to the State Governor, Senator Dr Ifeanyi Okowa to yield to the yearnings of Deltans who he said are passing through untold hardhip in the hands of police as the police have turned it to an avenue to extort the people.

He said: “We appeal to Governor Ifeanyi Okowa to hear the cry of the people and extend the curfew time from 7pm to 9pm.”

He also appealed to Deltans that if the time is extended by the state government, they should work with the available time as this is the way to move the state forward