NAOC's Petition Led To Opumie's Detention: Police

 

The Bayelsa State Police Command has beamed more light on the circumstances that led to the  arrest and two years detention of a Youth Activist, Comrade Collins Trueman Opumie allegedly  carried out by the men of the Department of State Security (DSS) in 2016.

The Bayelsa Police Command through  the Assistant Supretemdent of Police (ASP) Stanley Friday, told the State High Court sitting in Yenagoa on Tuesday that the two petititions filed by the Nigerian Agip Oil Company (NAOC) against  Comrade Collins Trueman Opumie on allege attempt to attack NSOC facilities and personel in the state led to the opening of police investigation.

ASP Stanley Friday, who was cross examined  on  Tuesday said the attempts by the Special Investigation Bureau of the State Police Command to investigate the petition filed by NAOC was truncated while the whereabout of the claimant became a mystery.

He told the Presiding Judge, Justice Ebiyon Duke Charlie  that the meeting fixed by the State Commissioner of Police and representatives of NAOC for 4th of August,2016 over the allegations raised in the petition never held as his whereabout remained unknown.

He said  " The police was under pressure  searching for Comrade Collins Trueman Opumie, dead or alive untill, we saw Governor Douye Diri on national Television raising his matter on the floor of the National Assembly affirming that he has been in the underground cell of the DSS for two years." 

ASP Stanley Friday it was gathered told the court that the officials of NSOC through one Anthony Ogalla had told the police that the purported threat issued against NAOC was suspected to be issued by one Comrade Collins Trueman Opumie who they had contract of AGO with and might be angry against NAOC for illegal termination of contract."

Also the officer of the DSS, Tare Peters, who claimed to have secured the confession of  Opumie's purported threat messages to the Former Divisional Head of NAOC, Mark Rotandi, said the DSS arrested the claimant three times based on  the directive from National Headquarters.

Tare Peters,  was said to  stated that despite the fact that his investigation may not be disclosed in court due to its classified nature,  he was arrested only three times"

"He was arrested on the 2nd of August, 2016 and after interrogation and confessional statement, he was released on self recognition. Following the order from the NSA, he was again arrested on the 15th of August, 2016 and taken to Abuja. On 18th August, 2016, a remand order was secured yo keep him for 90 days and   on the 16th of November, 2016, a Senior Magistrate Court in Abuja granted him bail."

The claimant counsel, Ebipreye Sese Esq, however disagreed with the DSS witness and pointed to some paragraphs in a judgement of the Federal High Court Abuja  against DSS Confirming that Collins was unlawfully detained for 2years without trial.

 He also demanded that DSS witness produce the purported confessional statement of the claimant to the alleged threat against NAOC and It's officials but it could not be produced. 

The DSS officials also defended the position on why he did not bother to invite officials of NAOC who made the allegation of threat against it's oil facilities as part of the investigation, claiming he had a confessional statement from the claimant and inviting NAOC officials is discretional.

" Upon receipt of intelligence, we saw the threat messages on the claimant on the claimant mobile phone and there was no need to check further and invite Agip. The intelligence we got and the man had confessed." DSS officer claimed.

But the DSS witness could not produce the confessional statement of the claimant and the phone allegedly used in sending the threat text messages to Agip in Court under cross examination by Barr Ebipreye Sese counsel to the claimant

Also the Divisional Manager, Partnership and Business Support of the NAOC, Dennis Mazi and a member of the Security Department of NAOC, Anthony Ogalla were called as separate witnesses in court.

While Barr Denise Mazi, who was the then security manager of Agip, admitted under cross examination that Agip was a nominal complainant in the first  information report filed against the claimant by the DSS in a senior magistrate court Abuja, he also claimed that the picture and particulars of the alleged sender of the threat messages were not known to him as the pictures were blurred and he could not identify Comrade Collins Trueman Opumie.

But the security personnel of the NAOC, Anthony Ogalla contradicted his boss and said the pictures and particular of Collins Trueman Opumie were procured from the electronic mail and it was very clear. He also agreed that the NAOC submitted the petitions against Collins Trueman Opumie to the Police.

Justice Ebiyon Duke Charlie after hearing the cross examination of the Four witnesses by legal Counsel to the DSS, C.S.Eze Esq, Counsel to the Nigerian Agip Oil Company (NAOC), Innocent Ekpen Esq, Counsel to the Police, C.S Efe Esq and Counsel to the Claimant,Ebipreye Sese Esq, gave all parties to 21 days to prepare and submit written addresses.

He adjourned the case till April 12,2024.

The Bayelsa Youth Activists, Comrade Collins Trueman Opumie, had filed a suit against his illegal arrest and detention with demands for the sum of N9billion in damages. 

He is also praying the court to declare that his arrest, torture and subsequent detention without proper food and medical attention and access to family members for two years was false Imprisonment and malicious prosecution.