A journalist in Delta State, Comrade Charlse Oyinbi Onduku, has called on the Commissioner of Police for justice over the alleged act of brutalisation on him by the Ovwian anti-cult group in the Udu Local Government Area of the state on Saturday, October 4, 2024.

Comrade Onduku, who is the Chief Executive Officer/Publisher of Niger Delta Mirror, NDM, Newspaper Online, and the Vice President of ljaw Publishers Forum, lPF, made this known in a petition to the Nigerian Police Force, NPF, in Warri on Monday, October 7, 2024.

According to the victim while briefing his lawyer, Omes Ogedegbe (Esq.), on the incident said that the anti-cult vigilante members stormed his barbing saloon located at Sakilo Street, off Old Ekete Road, Ovwian, and dragged him alongside his female visitor, who is an honorable member in Bomadi LG Council at gunpoint into their waiting Sienna van at about 8:45pm in a manner that smacks abduction, without giving any reason for their action.

The victims, who were tortured by the vigilantes after shooting a teargas canister into their eyes, were threatened to be killed if they refuse to cooperate and follow them to the Ovwian Police Station.

The publisher of NDM said he collapsed later after his left eye, which had been operated on due to a medical challenge, was hit with teargas, adding that ever since then he couldn't sleep and was on medication due to the serious pains in his eye.

He further alleged that the sum of four hundred and fifty thousand naira (N450,000k) kept in his shop for his Point of Sales (POS) business was looted on his return to his unlocked shop due to the intimidation and brutality by members of the anti-cult vigilantes.

In the statement to the NPF released by the victim through his lawyer, he called on the Commissioner of Police in Delta State to as a matter of urgency unravel the culprits of the dastardly act in a view of bringing justice to the victim.

The full details of the petition, addressed to the Commissioner of Police, Delta State Police Command, Asaba, and titled "In The Case Of Abduction, Brutalization Of Onduku Charles Oyinbi, Vice President Of The Ijaws Publishers Forum By Members Of The Ovwian Anti-cult Group On The 4th Of October, 2024", reads:

We are solicitors to Onduku Onyibi Charles who shall herein after be referred to as our client on whose firm instruction and behalf we hereby write and deliver this letter to you.

It is our instruction that our client is a respected law abiding citizen and the Vice President of the reverend Ijaw Publishers' Forum (IPF) and Editor in Chief of Niger Delta Mirror news outfit. He also owns and operates a barbing saloon and a Point of Sales (POS) outlet.

1. That our client was on the 4th of October, 2024 in his barbing saloon located at Sakilo, off old Ekete road, Ovwian, Delta State when about four armed members of the anti-cult volunteers stormed his shop and dragged him with them alongside his female visitor with his at that point in time which was about 8:45pm in a manner that smacks of abduction on allegation of being among the people who vandalized their patrol van.

2. That they raided some other persons in the area with whom they paraded our client within the area and beyond for several hours before they were taken to the police station when they were made to part with the sum of twenty thousand naira only.

3. That our client and his girlfriend were subjected to severe brutality as his left eye was bruised and the said eye just underwent an operation and they teargas the same eye leading to his collapse that led to his release from the police detention facility.

4. That at the point of moving our client from the shop, he was not allowed to lock up the shop as the same was deliberately intended to justify the looting of his shop as the sum of four hundred and fifty thousand kept in his shop for his POS business was also carted away by them.

We demand justice.

IGHO OGEDEGBE, BSO

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