… As security outfit deny killing youths in Etche
A lecturer at the University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT), Dr Steve Wordu is now raising the alarm over alleged threats to his life by a non governmental security outfit in Rivers State, OSPAC.
The lecturer said the threats to his life came after he stressed the need for OSPAC to be well regulated by the Nigerian police and Department of State Services (DSS) to avoid being infiltrated by criminals
Dr Wordu maintained that OSPAC misunderstood his statement and wondered why operatives of OSPAC in Obio/Akpor LGA are now bent on threatening him.
He said: “I have expressed the concern that OSPAC operators should do well to avoid infiltration of other criminal elements into their group.
“I have also stated the fact that a non state security organization like OSPAC will need to be regulated by state security system.
“Which means that OSPAC should not operate unilaterally without being supervised. It should be supervised in the area of member profiling by the state security.
“For instance, the Nigerian police and the DSS should have an oversight over the activities and operations of OSPAC.
“Their operators must be profiled to ensure that those who have criminal records do not penetrate into OSPAC.
“I have conceded to the fact that OSPAC has done well in these few places where they have operated.
“But then, we are talking about the future because non state security outfits like this are vulnerable to infiltration of other rival criminal gang into their fold and that will spoil the good record that OSPAC has.
“There should be regulation and licensing of their members. Who license them? Who give them authority to carry arms? It is even for the interest of OSPAC that they should be regulated.
“Since I made that statement, even OSPAC operatives from my own area, Akpor in Obio/Akpor LGA, have been sending me indirect threat. I think, they didn’t understand what I said.
“I also talked about the fact that there has to be a validated processing of suspects they have arrested and to make sure that their investigation is transparent. And after that, those arrested by OSPAC should be handed over to the police for prosecution.
“If we don’t take care of this now, we will have a situation where people will be executed without due process of law.”
Meanwhile, The Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Security Peace and Adversary Committee, OSPAC, a vigilante group accused of killing five persons in Okomoko, Etche Local Government Area of Rivers State, has denied allegations it was involved in the killings.
Community sources said the vigilante group invaded Okomoko community around 9:31 pm on Saturday and killed five persons.
Their bodies were dumped in Otamirioche River in Chokocho community by the rampaging security group after the dastardly act.
They added that a woman was also hit in the eye by a stray bullet while many others sustained several degrees of injuries.
But Victor Ohaji, the commander of the vigilante group said that the accusations are false.
He said that the group’s activities did not extend to Etche.
He explained that the group maintains a standard operating procedure of not shooting indiscriminately except when going after kidnappers or armed robbers who first fired at them.
Ohaji also said that the vehicle used by the attackers in Saturday’s attack does not have the OSPAC logo.
He said that criminals have been in the habit of impersonating OSPAC, adding that members of the local vigilante group had always worked in collaboration with the police and other security agencies to ensure peace.
Reacting, Nnamdi Omoni, the state Police Public Relations Officer, said the command has recovered five corpses.
He said, “They were killed by yet-to-be identified gunmen. Though people were insinuating that OSPAC members were involved, we should not begin to guess in this type of situation.”
He added that the state Commissioner of Police, Mr Mustapha Dandaura, had ordered a thorough investigation of the circumstance that led to the killing of the five persons and the arrest of those behind the dastardly act.
