Posted by Soni Daniel, Port Harcourt on
Armed robbers killed no fewer than five police officers and men during separate operations in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital in the last two months.
Armed robbers killed no fewer than five police officers and men during separate operations in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital in the last two months.
The Rivers State Police Commissioner, Mr. Samuel Adetuyi, gave the information while responding to enquiries by the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Extra Judiciary Executions, during a visit to the state on Monday.
The five policemen were felled when armed robbers raided two commercial banks in Port Harcourt and Onne in Eleme Local Government Area last month and carted away millions of Naira.
The police commissioner stated that security agents in the state were not in anyway involved in illegal killing of persons but were working hard to protect lives and property of individuals and corporate organisations in the state.
Adetuyi said it was in recognition of the interest and rights of the people that the police even asked them to notify them of any event or gathering to ensure that no life was threatened by criminals at any event.
The commissioner told the UN team that although the police were mindful of the fundamental rights of the individuals, they would however not fold their hands and allow the peace of the society to be threatened by individuals and groups in the name of freedom.
Responding to a question on the treatment of gunshot victims, the police boss said that it was an offence for any hospital or clinic to treat any patient with gunshots without first reporting to the police.
The commissioner said that from their experience, most wounded armed robbers connived with medical doctors to get treatment under an agreement to share the robbery loot, an action that had made it almost impossible for the authorities to fish out armed robbers.
Adetuyi warned that hospitals, which accept and treat wounded robbers would be treated as accomplices by the police.
'The proper thing to do is to first and foremost report any gunshot victim to the police before any treatment is given by the hospital," the police commissioner said.
On what the police were doing to check oil bunkering in the state, the police boss said that they were working closely with the army, air force and the navy to track down oil bunkerers.
He disclosed that already five trucks had been seized from oil thieves by the special task force working with the police.
The Punch Tuesday, July 12, 2005