Bayelsa stakeholders petition IGP, seek removal of CTU commander

Stakeholders from Bayelsa State yesterday sent a protest letter to the Inspector -General of Police, Ibrahim Idris over the alleged misconduct and corrupt practices of Chief Superintendent of Police, Daniel Okere Chukuma, Commander, Nigeria Police Counter Terrorism Unit (CTU) Base 22 located in Toru-Orua town of Sagbama Local Government Area of the State.

According to the stakeholders, made up of Civil Society groups and personnel of the CTU, the accused Commander, Daniel Okere, is involved in the use of CTU personnel as security guards to private individuals in the State, verbal and illegal posting of personnel to unauthorized beats, porous and defenceless security at the base, and contracting of CTU patrol vehicles to the Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) in Ahoda , Rivers which is not under his area of responsibility.

The Stakeholders, in a petition dated 17th of July, 2018 and addressed to the IGP, Idris and the Commissioner of Police, Counter Terrorism Unit, Force Headquarters, stated that the protest letter was affirmed to by aggrieved personnel of the CTU.

According to the petition signed by Mr. John Okojie, “We, the concerned stakeholders in Bayelsa in conjunction with the Personnel of the above mentioned base unanimously wish to complain against the above named offer for incompetency and corrupt practice, base on the following reasons.

“The counter Terrorism Unit base 22 Toru-Orua, Bayelsa State is a new base formed on the 03/11/2017 with a commander and two SPO’s from the stipulated date to the time of this write up.

“There is no IGP, DIG, AIG or CP approval the worst of it is that CTU operatives were illegally deployed to guard individual residents and streets.

“Two operatives are posted on guard duty at the resident of one Pastor at Azikoro Road Yenagoa. And others were drafted for street security guards like vigilante group in Samphino and Tombia streets respectively.”

“Base 22 is located in Toru-Orua town of Sagbama Local Government Area of Bayelsa State an abode of some displaced militants who are still in possession of arms despite the amnesty programme and are using their arms to perpetuate heinous crime/attack in the area and its environs. Today the base is only left with only one Inspector and two rank and files as base guards.

“This is the only commander in the history of CTU that collapsed in a riot scene just because of teargas and lost his arm (Riot Gunner) and was issued query by the command CP as a result.

“We are appealing to the authority to remove this incompetent and corrupt leader and replace him with competent one please”.