Residents of Okotomi in Okpanam, near Asaba, have petitioned the state Police Command against the alleged frequent invasion of the area by hoodlums who harass and extort money from them .
The Chairman, Okotomi Landlords Association, Mr Charles Muka, said in a petition that on May 24, certain gun wielding persons raided the community and shot sporadically to scare residents.
The petition to the Delta police command, signed by Mr Larry Olise, Solicitor to the association, was made available to newsmen on Thursday in Asaba.
“The gun wielding men came with a bulldozer with which they pulled down fence and properties of residents worth several millions of naira.”
The association alleged that some of the property owners who came to examine the extent of damage to their property were beaten and molested by the hoodlums.
The petitioners pleaded with the police for timely intervention to forestall further breakdown of peace in the area.
They called on the police to investigate the alleged forceful entry, malicious damage and forceful extortion and prosecute the culprits.
“This will serve as a deterrent to others who commit crimes with impunity.
“The gang leader had severally boasted that they would do whatsoever they liked and nobody could stop them as heavens would not fall.
However, Gov. Ifeanyi Okowa, at a news conference on June 6, had reinstated his administration’s resolve to deal decisively with illegal trespassing and levy collection, notoriously called Development (Deve) levy in the state.
Okowa warned the hoodlums to stay away from such activities as the state government was looking for a scapegoat since the act prohibiting such illegal collections had been signed into law