– They are mainly Delta, Edo natives – Sources

– Just to cover Fulani invasion of Delta – CSOs

Tension and anger are currently raging in the Delta State Police Command over mass redeployment of Divisional Police Officers (DPOs) and other heads of police units, mostly of southern extraction to northern part of the country.

It can be reported that about 65 officers within the ranks of the Chief Superintendents of Police (CSPs) and Superintendents of Police (SPs) were massively affected in the massive shake-up with the Delta Police Command.

Findings by our correspondent revealed that the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mohammed Adamu, approved the transfer of the officers following the recommendation of the State Police Commissioner, Mr. Hafiz Inuwa .

Mostly affected by the development are officers who are of Delta and Edo States origins.

It was learnt that the affected officers have been equally replaced by police officers who are of Northern extraction.

It was gathered that the transfer of the officers was already generating ripples among personnel of the command especially among senior officer.

Sources said the leadership of the state police command is claiming that the transfer of the officers was as a result of their over-stay in their respective divisions thus were fast becoming unproductive.

A position, several security operatives who spoke with our correspondent, faulted as not true.

Some Civil Society Groups (CSOs) who spoke with our correspondent alleged that the state police chief was playing an ethnic card thus the transfer of the officers who are of southern origin to the north.

Some of the affected officers had barely spent a year in the state.

One of the sources claimed that the Delta Police Commissioner had been unhappy with many of the transferred DPOS and Head of Police Units over their unbiased position in the activities of suspected Fulani herdsmen in the state.

The Delta CP had personally queried some senior police officers over the recent Fulani herdsmen attacks in Uwheru Kingdom where about ten farmers were allegedly slaughtered by arms-wielding gunmen in the state.

Herdsmen had also perpetrated heinous killings in other parts of the state including in Olomu, Issele-Asagba, Abraka and Abavo.

A leader of one of the CSOs who spoke on condition of anonymity claimed that, “There is a grand plan to remove 62 DPO’s serving in Delta State to the Northern part of the country. Those being removed are mainly persons from Delta and Edo States.

“DPOs and other officers of Northern extraction who have been serving here a long time were not affected in the redeployment. Some of them are raising a ‘Red flag’ that there may be a ploy to bring in Hausa Police officers to cover the track of heinous activities of Fulani herdsmen.”

One of the affected officers said the Commissioner of Police Hafiz Inuwa, while serving in Cross Rivers State carried out ethnic cleansing of officers in his command and was massively resisted by the citizens of the State.

A list of the transfer obtained by our correspondent indicated that some of the officers were redeployed to Borno, Adamawa, Jigawa, Nasarawa, Sokoto, Kano among others.

A copy of the transfer list obtained by this medium in Abuja on Saturday was stated 30th April 2020 and signed by Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG) Alkali Baba Usman, who was one time a commissioner of police in Delta State.

The circular read, Inspector-General of Police has ordered the transfer of the following officers from Delta State Command to commands indicated against their names.

“The IGP has noticed flagrant disregard to lawful orders exhibited by officers on transfer to commands/formations. Officers who intentionally decide not to report on or before 29th May, 2020 will be queried.”

Efforts to speak with the State Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Onome Onowakpoyeya, on the development proved abortive as her line was said to be switched off repeatedly while an SMS sent to line was yet to deliver five hours before this report.

Similar efforts to speak with the state commissioner of police, Hafiz Inuwa, also proved abortive as repeated calls to his telephone line were rejected while SMS sent to him had not been answered at the time of filing this report. (Niger Delta Online)