Police debunk report of Officers undergoing trial over election offenses

* Say report is false and misleading

By Jon Egie

The Delta State Police Command has debunked a report saying some of its officers were undergoing trial over their involvement in election offenses in the February 25 Presidential and National Assembly election.

A statement issued by the Command’s PPRO, DSP Bright Edafe said the media report is false and misleading.

He said officers of the Command who were on duty during the February 25 Presidential and National Assembly election acted professionally and that none of them was on trial.

His words: “Following a report by some sections of the media with the caption “Policemen on trial in Delta over election fraud”, stating that the Command has arrested some police officers involved in electoral offenses, and aiding politicians in manipulating the election process during the recently conducted presidential and national assembly elections, and are currently undergoing orderly room trial. The Command wishes to state clearly that the report is completely false and misleading, as the officer who represented the Commissioner of Police was wrongly quoted.

“For the avoidance of doubt, the Chief Superintendent of Police who represented the Commissioner of Police at an event was speaking generally while responding to a question when he stated that if any officer in any part of the country is found to have committed one electoral offense or the other, such officer will be made to face internal disciplinary procedure.

“The Command wishes to reiterate that officers and men of the Command during the election were professional in the discharge of their duty, and as such, the story making the rounds that officers are undergoing orderly trial over election fraud in the Command is false and should be completely disregarded.”