12 March 2023
The Delta State Police Command has commenced an investigation into a viral video clip of a man threatening residents of the state to vote for a particular candidate in the forthcoming governorship poll.
In the video, a town crier, said to be from Orogun community, Ughelli North Local Government Area, Delta State in Urhobo dialect, claimed that an unnamed retired senior police officer directed him to announce that all members of the community must vote for a particular candidate or be ‘taken to the police area command and beaten to death by the police and buried by the government’.
According to the statement made available to Trackupnews on Saturday by the state spokesperson, DSP Edafe Bright, the command was probing the inciting clip.
He noted that the state Commissioner of Police, Ari Muhammed, had directed the divisional police officer in charge of Orogun division to carry out a discreet investigation into the matter.
The Police Spokesperson also added that the said town crier had been arrested.
He explained that the town crier admitted that he was merely acting on his own and that no serving or retired senior police officer gave him such a directive.
“He, however, denied knowledge or involvement in the transcription of the video into English version adding that the latest version is not in line with his earlier message.
He further said that emerging facts revealed that some mischievous elements, who are out to cause tension and discontent in the state, edited and magnified the message of the town crier, which he had since retracted, beyond his original intention
The statement said the English transcription put on social media was to serve their selfish purpose
“This is not just malicious but criminal. The command is gradually closing in on characters behind the said video clip with a view to bringing them before the law,” he added.
