The Civil Liberties Organisation (CLO) has slammed the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, over his continued silence on the last week killing of seven policemen attached to the Bayelsa state command by some unidentified Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad in Ughelli, Delta state, alleging that the silence and lack of investigation is fueling a conspiracy of the deceased officers.
The CLO through its Bayelsa Chapter Chairman, Chief Nengi James-Eriworio, argued that the silence of the Inspector General Police and the two police commissioners in Delta and Bayelsa states is unsettling and point to the fact that there is a conspiracy which led to the death of the police men.
Chief Nengi James-Eriworio, while speaking to newsmen in Yenagoa, described the silence of the Nigerian Police on the incident as a sad development to the deceased families and Bayelsa State where they hail from saying ”till today, it is sad that the police IG will remain silent over such incident. It is disappointing that the police will keep mute over the murder of these policemen.”
“We are still wondering how the seven policemen were killed without any survivor with the unidentified federal SARS not having any casualty. We are suspicious about the incident. It is difficult to accept that they were killed and their rifles left with them.
“We have doubt on the circumstances surrounding the killing of these seven households and families. The CLO is concerned that the death of these policemen cannot be in vain. Whether they were shot dead rightfully or wrongly. They must be investigated.
“The CLO is yet to be convinced that something is not fishy. The silence is an attempt to cook up a story to tell their families. We are not saying we know what happened. But what we are saying is that these slain policemen have rights until found guilty. The incident is questionable”.
The CLO compared the killing of the policemen to the incident involving the alleged kidnap kingpin, Bala Hamisu, also known as Wadume. ”We, the CLO, never knew until investigation was ordered. It would have been swept under the carpet. The two police commissioners should be made to investigate and try those involved in the incident.”
It would be recalled that seven policemen, made up of sergeants and corporal attached to the Bayelsa Police Command were last week shot dead in Ughelli by some men of the Federal SARS over reported involvement in armed robbery.
The incident cause an uproar among the residents of the two states of Delta and Bayelsa with families of the deceased officers denying the reported involvement of the deceased officers in armed robbery.
While some persons claimed they were shot dead by some members of the Federal SARS during an allege arm robbery operation, others claimed they were caught in a heavy gun sale deal which went sour and were executed.
The pictures taken from the scene of the crime showed that the deceased officers were lined up in an executioner form and shot dead with their uniforms and official rifles hanging on their shoulders.