Arising from a meeting of the Udu Council of Chiefs, under the leadership of His Royal Majesty, Okporus I, Ovie of Udu Kingdom, the Ovie Council has observed with grave concern the rising and sustained acts of monetary extortion and harassment of road users by some personnel of the Nigerian Police Force, Delta State Traffic Management Agency, Anti-Cultism/Vigilante and VIOs within Udu Kingdom.
Our Kingdom, which hosts very busy markets and businesses across Udu Bridge, Udu Road–Express Junction, Cross and Stop-Motor, Ovwian, Ugbete, Orhuwhorun, Ujevwu, Ubogo and Aladja axes, has become a flashpoint where commercial drivers, tricycle and motorcycle operators, private motorists and other law-abiding citizens are daily subjected to indiscriminate stop-and-search and forced to part with monies ranging from N1,000 to N100,000, especially truck and lorry drivers, at various checkpoints mounted by these state and federal agencies.
We state unequivocally that these acts of extortion are:
1. Illegal, unprofessional and inconsistent with the Inspector-General of Police’s zero-tolerance stance on extortion.
2. An embarrassment to the Federal and State Governments and a betrayal of public trust.
3. A source of hardship, provocation and traffic obstruction, especially during peak hours. It is bad enough that motorists endure the current bad state of roads in Udu Kingdom, although this is now being addressed by our action governor. To have government security agencies mount roadblocks on the same bad portions to extort them is highly testing and unacceptable.
4. Capable of breaching the peace and creating unnecessary tension between the Police and the hospitable people of Udu Kingdom.
While we acknowledge and commend the efforts of the Delta State Police Command in maintaining law and order, as well as those of the other mentioned state agencies in making our roads safer, we cannot condone the actions of a few bad eggs who have turned policing and road-safety enforcement into a toll-collection exercise.
THE UDU COUNCIL OF CHIEFS THEREFORE RESOLVED AS FOLLOWS:
1. That the Commissioner of Police, Delta State Command, the Area Commander, Divisional Police Officers, and Heads of DESMA and VIO covering Udu LGA should immediately call their men to order and ensure strict adherence to professional conduct.
2. That all forms of monetary extortion, intimidation and unnecessary delay of road users under the guise of routine checks within Udu Kingdom should stop forthwith.
3. That the Police should embrace community policing in line with global best practices and work in synergy with the Udu Kingdom Vigilante and other lawful security structures.
4. That the good people of Udu Kingdom, drivers and commuters should remain law-abiding and sustain the peace in the Kingdom. They should lawfully document and report any case of extortion to the Police and relevant police authorities for necessary action, and not resort to self-help.
The Udu Council of Chiefs remains committed to peace, security and development of the Kingdom. We will not hesitate to formally escalate the matter to the Inspector-General of Police, the Police Service Commission, and heads of the affected agencies should this unwholesome practice continue unchecked.
We trust that the Nigerian Police Force, as a friend of the people, and all concerned will heed this fatherly call.
Chief Sam E. Odibo, JP
Otota of Udu Kingdom