Delta Communities Allege Police Cover-up for  Suspect

Omon-Julius Onabu in Asaba

Communities across Oshimili North, Aniocha North and Aniocha South Local Government areas of  Delta State have protested alleged attempt to cover up and shield a man facing trial for various criminal activities in their communities by the police at the Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID), Abuja.

Leaders of different communities in the area accused the police of attempting to scuttle ongoing trial and investigation into the alleged criminal acts of the suspect, one Francis Oduwanor Odiakose and his cohorts.

Speaking with newsmen recently at Asaba, community leaders drawn from Ubulu-Okiti, Ogwashi-Uku, Akukwu-Igbo, Edo-Ogwashi and Issele-Azagba communities spread across the three aforementioned local government areas lamented the alleged attempt by some officers of the FCID to pervert the cause of justice by the shielding of the suspect, who was also fingered in attempted killing of a resident of the area.

The Delta State Police Command spokesman, Mr. Bright Edafe, had in a statement in Asaba last August, declared the said “Francis Odiakose and his brother, Christopher, wanted in the state for conspiracy, terrorism, cultism and attempted murder.”

Mr. Tony Enurah, who is a leader of the Oganihu Otulu community, alleged that the suspect, along with several other members of his group, had been terrorising their community and neighbouring communities for several years.

“Although the suspect was supposedly facing trial for several crimes, including attempted murder, illegal possession of firearms and assault, he  was, nevertheless, granted bail in 2021 at the Delta State High Court and Magistrate courts,” he said.

“However, the suspect, Francis Odiakose, reportedly absconded instead of standing trial or answering to the court charges, thereby prompting the judges and magistrates to issue bench warrants for his arrest,” he  further explained.

He said that the suspect on the police wanted list “unilaterally declared himself as a traditional ruler and was driving around the community with police escorts. These policemen were used to intimidate members of the community.”

 Enurah added: “We wrote to the Delta State Government to complain about the activities of this gang. When the Commissioner of Police, Delta State invited Francis Oduwanor Odiakose to answer his numerous petitions, he absconded from the state and ran to Abuja to file a petition against the Police in Delta.

“Now we are hearing that (somebody) in FCID has summoned the police in Delta and asked them to stop all criminal investigations into the activities of the fake traditional ruler, Francis Oduwanor. How can a man who they know is a fake traditional ruler (and) who the state government has written to the police to explicitly state that he is a wanted man and a fraud, be running around the police FCID when they know the court has issued bench warrants for failing to appear for his trials.

“The Delta State Ministry of Justice on 16th August 2022 wrote a letter to the police requesting that they bring Francis Oduwanor to court but the police in FCID have refused to comply with the court order.

“Just last week, Justice Umukoro of the Delta State High Court sentenced some of the gang members to prison for the daylight shooting of a local chief in Edo Ogwashi-Uku. The convicts have been sent to the correctional prison in Warri, Delta State.”

Similarly, Mr Ifeanyi Onwaebuzie from Akukwu-Igbo, the administrative headquarters of Oshimili North, and Elder Tony Ahamefuna, alleged, “In May 2022, Francis and his gang members came into our community to seize our land.

“They killed a youth, Mr Gabobo, by strangling him to death and setting him ablaze. Despite the petition we wrote to the CP Delta, we understand that officers in Abuja have taken the file.”

While calling for justice to be  done on the matter, the local leaders lamented that the police have not even called them to give their own statements.

 “To date, we have not heard anything about our petition to investigate the death of our brother that Francis and his group killed. We demand justice, and we will take our case to the highest people in government and protest publicly if they continue to cover-up for him.”