Olufemi Abaniwonda is Delta State Commissioner for Police. In this interview, the Commissioner speaks on the situation at Okuoma, Bomadi LGA Delta State after 17 officers and soldiers, including the Commanding Officer of 181 Division, Amphibious Battalion, Lt. Col AH Ali, on peacekeeping mission were, on March 14, ambushed and killed by suspected youths of the community.

Abaniwonda explains that the Army, in collaboration with the police and other security agencies, are hunting for the killers of the Army personnel. He calls for caution social media reports, pointing out they are inaccurate.

Excerpts:

Why is it that the police appear not to be part of the narrative of the incident in Okuoma community, Delta State?

Section 4 of the Constitution and the Nigerian Police Force Act state clearly the duties of the police force include protection of civilians, apprehension of offenders and prosecution of same. Now on the Okuoma incident, I would like to state that we have an on-going military operation there. We have been on ground, we have been supportive. We have not been missing in action. But the provision of the doctrine that deals with what we are expected to do when military operations are ongoing is what we are following. Technology has been an integral part of present-day policing. These individuals are being tracked. We were with the governor on Monday at Bomadi when briefing was being made. Efforts are being made to ensure that the perpetrators of this heinous crime are brought to book. Like the governor said, it is not everything that happened that should be made public. Military briefings are made on the need to know basis. We are working in conjunction with other security agencies and I can assure you that we are making progress.

Can you tell us the story from the police perspective; your observations and the reports you have been receiving on the incident?

The situation in the Okuoma and environs is calm for now. Most of the places are deserted. I will not like to say more than that because, like I said, there is an ongoing military operation and, as such, it is better that things are not said than to say something that can aggravate the situation or pass information to the people we are looking for.

Have you been able to ascertain level casualty level?

You will recall the Okuoma and Okoloba communities have been having land dispute over fishing rights. The unfortunate incident happened when the military officers on peace keeping were ambushed and killed. Since that incident, the area has become a military operation zone. I want us to be extremely careful of what we do with social media reports because some of them are inaccurate. On whether we have been able to move into those communities, indeed, it is our primary responsibility to ensure internal security but when you have a sister agency conducting an operation, the reasonable thing to do is to wait for them to finish. We have not been able to get into Okuoma for now because of the volatile nature of what is presently going on around that area.

What support are you then giving if you can’t enter the community? Does it mean the military has taken over the community in a democracy?

I may not be able to respond to this question but what is important to note is that when such things are on-going, we must be seen to be collaborative. We must also understand that technology has made this thing easier and, at the same time, more difficult for us to answer this question, appropriately but I can assure you that we will be able to get in very soon. For now, for one to get into those communities, you need to get clearance. We are working on this so we can also ensure the safety of our men.

What is the exact nature of your involvement with regard to preventing escalation to neighbouring communities?

Also, were you invited as the state commissioner for police to the meeting at Bomadi?

Yes, I was part of that meeting. I would like to state this clearly. The Nigeria police are the grassroots security agency. In these communities, we either have an outpost or a divisional station, manned by our personnel who update us on what is happening. If you know how Delta State is, it is like mini-Nigeria; every person is here; it is not just an issue between the Urhobo, the Itsekiri, Ijaw, etc. This is an unfortunate incident between two neighbours; people who are connected together. We are on ground in all our formations, rendering services in line with the mandate of the Inspector General of Police, IGP; protection of lives and property. We are doing this across the state.

Can you share with us the reports about the three suspects arrested in connection with this criminality and how close you are at bringing all that are involved to book?

When this incident occurred, as is usually the case, the main perpetrators had basically disappeared into the creeks and neighbouring states. You would understand that Delta State shares boundary by the waterways with a number of states. So the suspects arrested are being questioned. There are assurances that the security of those that are not involved is guaranteed but I think that it will be too early for me to start telling you what they are saying and what we are doing. The manhunt is on. We are doing all we can to carry out the directives of the commander-in-chief which is to bring the perpetrators to justice.

Who do you need to get permission from to be able to get into Okuoma? Also, did the governor get to any of the communities, personally? Again, I know police have drones, have you been able to apply this technology in the area to see what is going on?

It Is a collaborative responsibility and engagement. For now, our drones are not deployed in that environment. The principle of ‘Mar P’ is basically the principle of military assistance when you have escalating conflict, this conflict is ongoing. To ensure that they are not what is called collateral damage, you need to ensure that there is no on-going operations before going in there for anything. If you need to move in when operation is still on-going, you need to let the theatre commander or head of operations know that you are going there. The safety of the men we deploy is also considered and that is why I said it is collaborative. On whether it Is on-going, yes it is on-going and in our visit to Bomadi, we were unable to access, you know the environment, you need to go through river to access these communities. You will understand that these are riverine communities. We have deployed our marine and gunboats and, like I said, you cannot just walk into an on-going operation. It is important we understand this.

Does this mean that you and the governor did not enter…even with the collaborative effort?

It is not that they are telling me what is going on there. I have Divisional Police Officers, DPOs, Station Officers and Intelligence Officers in that environment. We receive briefings from them. It is important that we don’t spill the bean. Understand that the Nigeria police cover every part of this country. I have briefings from my officers even as we speak, and the community has security men on ground.

Do you share the view of the Senate for recruitment of more people into the police force? Are you under resourced in Delta State?

I won’t say we are under-resourced but let me quickly say this: I have been privileged to serve at the Police Headquarters shortly before my deployment to Delta State. There is a policy of government which stipulates recruitment of certain number of people into the police force on a yearly basis. We just concluded examination of candidates we intend to bring into the system. No security agency can say they have all they need. It is an ongoing thing and government is doing its utmost best. Once the results are concluded, the process continues. We need more men but as they are coming in, others are dropping.

The Army described reports on the killing and burning of houses in the area as propaganda. Have the police been able to identify those doing this since the Army is saying they don’t have a hand in that?

Recall that I said the two communities have been at loggerheads for about a decade, during which there have been killings and reprisal killings. In these communities there are youth leaders, traditional leaders; we are looking at these, we are tracking and asking all relevant questions to ascertain those involved in the burnings or unlawful killings. Until we are done, you cannot say who did what. Our investigations are ongoing which will be reviewed by those higher than us. I think it will be inappropriate to disclose the information we are gathering from our officers on ground.

Are your Intelligence officers in Okuama or just the military?

Let me clarify this quickly. Okuoma and Okoloba are under Out-Jeremi Division, ‘North’ Bomadi. The Division has responsibility for these two communities and that is way I said, we have our people on ground, embedded in the community. But, I think it will be too early for us to start giving names, also for the safety of these individuals. (Sunday Vanguard)

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