From our Correspondent
A Benin based human right and a constitutional lawyer, Barrister Obakpolor Emmanuel, has appealed to the federal government and the authority of the Nigeria military high command to call on the soldiers attached to Pan Ocean Oil Company in Oghara Delta State to order from
further harassment, molestation, intimidation and disturbance of public peace.
Barrister Obakpolor in a press release made available to journalists in Sapele, Delta State, alleged that the peaceful people of Okurho road in Oghara, Delta State are currently passing through untold
harassment, molestation, intimidation, disturbance of public peace with the constant raiding of their area by the soldiers, resulting in them, facing a total fear because of the incessant raiding of the area
by these soldiers from the said oil company far away from Okurho road Ogharefe.
The Erudite lawyer explained further that the peaceful people of that area were in total amazement and fear when the soldiers from the said oil company’s facility arrived at a popular bar (warm-up) and started shooting sporadically into the air while littering empty cartridges everywhere during their shooting exercise that lasted for hours as they arrested several persons at the bar, took them to their base at Oghara and after maltreating them, they instructed them never to go to the said bar (warm-up) but told them to visit other bars precisely mentioning the names of two other bars to their victims.
He noted that the soldiers not satisfied with their operations, repeated their raiding spree on the 12 day of July 2015 and 19 day of July 2015, shot sporadically and arresting some customers of the said
bar (warm-up) as usual and instructed them not to patronize the said bar but other bars of Oghara, which now prompted the owners of the bar (Warm-Up) to contact their lawyer one Obakpolor Emmanuel, Esq, who at press time was said to have approached the Federal High Court Warri on
the matter to sue for redress for his clients.
The lawyer said the military particularly those soldiers are sent to protect lives and property of innocent citizens and not to harass, molest, intimidate, arrest without justifiable reason (s) adding that Nigeria is a civil society and not a Kangaro republic like the soldiers have acted, appealing to the military high command to call the soldiers to order before things get out of hand explaining that
the people of Okurho road at Oghara have fundamental rights which should be protected as guaranteed by the 1999 constitution of federal Republic of Nigeria (As commended).
Barrister Obakpolor concluded that the constitutional duty of soldiers is to protect lives and property, “ We are using this medium at the epoch to call on the Chief of Army Staff to call the soldiers to perform their constitutional duty legally, he noted.
