• Says CP ordered arrest of policemen involved
The Delta State Police Command has denied rumour making the rounds on social media about the death of a girl after police officers used tear gas on travellers around Oghara in the State.
It was gathered that the police officers who were on a patrol had stopped a vehicle conveying passengers from Sapele, Delta State to Benin, Edo State when an argument ensued. The policemen, therefore, used teargas on the driver, which affected the girl.
While reporting the incident, some social media influencers and online media said the girl was ‘feared dead’.
Reacting to the report, the Public Relations Officer of the Command, DSP Edafe Bright said the report is not true. Adding that the girl in question did not die.
He, however, acknowledged that the teargas affected her but that she regained composure and continued her journey.
While condemning the action of the police officers, Bright also stated that the Commissioner of Police in the State has ordered their detention.
Read more: Ekweremadu, Nnaji, Onoh make last minute withdrawal from Enugu guber race
He said, “The attention of Delta State Police Command has been drawn to a Facebook post by Sapele Matters, and also a publication by thestoryng.com. The publication reads ‘A girl feared dead after Police used Tear gas on travellers in Delta’’ on 23/5/2022. According to the publisher, the incident occurred around Oghara in Delta state.
“To put the record straight, the Command wishes to state as follows: The Patrol team attached to Oghara Division, while on stop and search in Oghara, intercepted a sienna Vehicle conveying passengers from Sapele to Benin. An argument ensued between the policemen and the driver which escalated to the use of Tear gas by the policemen on the driver, the fumes affected a girl suspected to be an asthmatic patient.
“The Police on noticing that she was unconscious tried to revive her, when she regained consciousness, she declined going to the hospital, insisting she was okay and want to continue her journey to Benin city. She entered the vehicle and they all went to Benin safely.
“While the conduct of the said policemen is condemnable and totally unacceptable, it is also pertinent to state that it’s very wrong and highly unethical for some social media influencers and journalists to make publications without recourse to the genuine state of the matter.
“Despite the publisher reaching out, and being informed by the PPRO that the girl in fact did not die, he still went ahead to caption the publication with such a misleading headline for the sole purpose of misleading the members of the public.
“The Commissioner of Police who has since ordered the detention of the Policemen to serve as a deterrent to others is also advising the good people of the State to make judicious use of their social media handles by telling their followers the truth and not deliberately misleading them because they want traffic on their page.
“Fake news is not acceptable and should not be encouraged in any way.”
Click on The Trumpet and follow us on our Twitter page for more:
