- Safiu Kehinde
The Delta State Police Command has redeployed the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of Jesse community with another officer detained over alleged extortion of an arrested suspect’s family member.
This was disclosed in a statement issued on Friday by the Command’s spokesperson, SP Bright Edafe.
According to the statement, the redeployment of the DPO and detention of the officer simply identified as Bright is coming under the heels of viral video recorded by a woman who recounted how she was extorted of N2.5 million by the officers in a bid to get his brother released.
The woman’s brother, identified as Israel Onojeruo, was reportedly arrested alongside some suspects who claimed to have sold a gun to him.
Onojeruo’s sister had approached the officers who demanded N2.5 million for the release of her brother.
“The Command is aware of the viral video recording of a woman in a video recording alleging that one officer bright, officer Usman and the DPO Jesse extorted from her the sum of two million, five hundred thousand naira (#2,500,000) with the hope that her brother, who is presently in custody, will be released.
“After a careful examination of the video clip, the command wishes to state as follows; On the 1st of January 2026, the youth leader of Jesse community arrested some suspects and brought them to the Police station.
“Among the suspects was the narrator’s younger brother, later identified as Israel Onojeruo, aged 20 years.
“The suspect was arrested based on the confession of another suspect, Okoro Desmond, who stated that he sold a gun to Israel Onojeruo.
“Suspects were later transferred to the State Anti-Cult Unit (SACU) for further investigation.” The statement partly read.
In the wake of the allegation, the Delta Police Command’s Commissioner, Aina Adesola, reportedly ordered the AC X-Squad to investigate the allegation leveled against the officers.
While the officer Bright who was captured was detained at the command headquarters, the DPO was removed and deployed to the command headquarters pending the outcome of the investigation.
The removal of DPO, according to the statement, was also in response to a series of complaints of extortion and unprofessionalism levelled against the DPO from different quarters.
Aina assured members of the public that if, after investigation, the officers are found to have acted in an unprofessional manner, they will be decisively dealt with in accordance with the extant laws as stipulated in the Police Act and regulations to serve as a deterrent to others.
The Commissioner wishes to emphasised that the command under his leadership will not tolerate any form of extortion, intimidation, incivility to members of the public and unprofessionalism from officers in the command.