A town crier in Orogun, Ughelli North Local Government Area of Delta State, has been arrested by the police for allegedly spreading an inciting political message ahead of the March 18 governorship election.
In the video, a town crier, said to be from Orogun community, Ughelli North Local Government Area, Delta State, while speaking 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’.
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Public Relations Officer of the command, DSP Bright Edafe, who confirmed the arrest in a statement issued in Asaba on Saturday, however, said the message was doctored by unscrupulous political elements to achieve certain objectives.
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.
“He 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 making of the latest version of the clip with English transcription as not being in line with his earlier message.
“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, added English transcription and put same on social media 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.
