BENIN CITY – THE people of Ubiaza community in Ikpoba-Okha local government area have accused the police of alleged shoddy investigation over the purported killing of an indigene identified as Edwin Ogiemwense who was accused of terrorizing them but that the report of the police investigation was now being used to punish members of the community and an activist, Emmanuel Aigbogun who they said expressed doubts on the police report.
The secretary of the community, Osadolor Celestine said Agbogun was being victimized because he has been on the side of truth and found faults in the report of the police on the circumstances that led to Ogiemwense’s death. According to him, “the late Edwin was arrested and the case was referred to Agese’e office and he granted him bail, he left and mobilized and came to shoot sporadically and in the process one Obodode was killed. The matter was referred to SCID homicide section and they declared him wanted, he ran away and it was DSS that re-arrested him and took him to court and court granted him bail.
“Agbogun was only trying to help bring peace to the community and it was myself, my odionwere that went to the DC Zone to make report when we were arrested and they now claimed that Aigbogun was a suspect in the killing. He only stood his ground that the truth must be revealed, they arrested us and granted myself and odionwere bail but said Agbogun was a suspect in the murder yet he was not in town when the incident happened.
But when contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer, Tijani Mohammed said the allegation against the police was not true. “Agese’s job was to investigate and resolve the crisis in the community and in the process, somebody was killed. It was the homicide department the investigated the case of murder and the files were sent to the DPP for advice which said they have a case to answer.