Police Teargas Protesting Women, Scores Injured.

Operatives of the Delta State Police Command forceful dispersal  group of protesting women, and during the incident, one middle-aged woman was allegedly shot, while many others sustained varied degrees of injury in Ughelli.

The women from Oteri-Ughelli in the Ughelli North Local Government Area were protesting against alleged incessant harassment and extortion by policemen in the community.

Eyewitnesses said, what started as a peaceful protest turned bloody when the aggrieved women, in their hundreds, who had mobilized to the Police Area Command office in Ughelli to register their grievances, were rejected by the men and officers of the area command.

The women protesters carried placards with assorted inscriptions such “Oteri-Ughell is a peaceful community with law-abiding citizens, stop making life difficult for us”; “Police are making life difficult for our poor and innocent citizens”, while, security operatives reportedly used heavy teargas against the unarmed women and shot one middle-aged woman in her left leg while others were beaten to stupor.

When contacted, the Police Area Commander in Ughelli, ACP Adebayo, said, he is looking into the complaints of the community with a view to sanctioning erring police officers and men.