Mob Attacks Police, Frees Prisoners From Magistrate Court In Ogwashi-Uku

There was very big drama today at the Magistrate court in Ogwashi-Uku Delta State as a prearranged mob apparently overpowered police officers from the State CID including Inspector Felix Adibeli and freed several suspects from custody.

Sources gave the names of some of the freed suspects as Elue Nwaolise, Azuka Obata, Ifechukwude Ikewenji and Osim Okelue, adding that they were brought to the Magistrate court 1 by officers from the state CID to answer to charges after they assaulted Ogwashi-Uku vigilante members with cutlasses and inflicted deep wounds on several of them.

After a painstaking investigation, the suspects who were in court today were apparently granted bail but with very strict conditions by the magistrate.

Unable to immediately perfect their bail conditions, the court officials moved to take the suspects into prison custody pending the perfection of documentation and verification of the sureties.

While this was ongoing, the mob attacked the two police officers from the state CID and freed the suspects who were in handcuffs.

The court officials are said to have called for backup from the Divisional Police but the mob attacked several of the police officers, assaulted them and tore their uniforms to shreds.

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They were successful in freeing all the suspects who are currently on the run.

This situation has created extreme tension within the community as the Divisional Police hunt for the suspects and the organisers of the mob who are thought to represent the Odafe in the Azungwu community of Ogwashi-Uku.

Recall that over a year ago the same suspects were investigated for the burning of the house of the Odogwu of Ogwashi-Uku and rape of his wife. The community members have expressed their determination to protest against the lack of preparedness of the state police and the shoddy attitude by the officers thet led to the escape of the prisoners.

When contacted, the police spokesman in the state, DSP Bright Edafe, confirmed the shocking development.

His words: “After they have been granted bail, they could not meet the bail conditions. So when they saw we were preparing them to take them back to prison, family members and some members of the community, they just mobilised, attacked the officials, attacked the police men, even bit the hand of one of the police men. I think they are four suspects.”