By Judith Edirin E
The Inspector General of Police 27th August, 2016
Nigerian Police Force
Headquarters Abuja
Dear Sir,
AN OPEN LETTER TO THE INSPECTOR GENERAL OF POLICE: A CALL TO SAVE EKPAN COMMUNITY FROM STATE OF ANARCHYAND OPPRESSION.
We write to crave your indulgence to quickly come to our help to rescue our community from state of anarchy by some internal terrorists who seem to be having the backing of powerful politicians in the state. The problem of our community is politically motivated by politicians, who are using our children to fight against themselves, it is indeed a power tussles of who has the power to appoint Community Liaison Officers – the state government or the community.
In every community there is a laid down structure to protect the interest of the people under the leadership of the community leaders to appoint community youth body as the community liaisons officers, since the inception of the administration of Governor ifeanyi Okowa this structure over time has been obstructed by his cabinet members Mr Lawrence Ijel, a.k.a Ngozi who is the Special Adviser to the Governor on youth dissolving the existing structural body while disregarding the traditional ruler ship thereby appointing his cronies as the Exco members.
Ekpan indigenes and citizens are living in fear, if opposed by any of the rules by the state government aides, they are either seen as enemies that most be victimized and chased out of the community. Most youths in the community have been on exile, some over a year now from their ancestral home and cannot return home cause of fear of been killed by the youths who are fully armed under the protection of the Nigerian Army in Ekpan and the state Governor aides Mr Lawrence ijel a.k.a Ngozi and Mr Bright Edejewhro who is the commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs. They use both police, army to oppress our people in the community.
This groups of youths who are fully armed goes about intimidating community members and threatening to deal with anyone that dares them, Before the inception of this administration, this young man Lawrence Ijei a.k.a Ngozi has been a tool for political mayhem in our community, he controlled some factions of youths in the community, Mr Lawrence Ijel a.k.a. Ngozi, who is claiming his great grand maternal lineage to Ekpan is not an indigene of Ekpan community.
The entire community in Ekpan has known no peace for the past one year of this administration of Mr. ifeanyi Okonwa because of his aides, people’s life are being threatened on a daily basis, intimidation of all sorts and oppression by this group of youths who parade themselves in all the family compound of their perceived enemies they’ve driven away from the community threatened to kill and burn alive anyone among them found. People are living in fear of been victimize by this state government owned hoodlums.
On the 24th of June, 2016, a detachment of army from 3battalion Effurun Barracks led by Major Anzaku led some youths loyalist to the state governor to cause mayhem in the community, on that same day the house of High Chief Emmanuel Inaba Omasheye was looted and destroyed, and some houses that belong to indigenes were also destroyed and looted up to bole hole and mattresses, monetary values and clothing that belong to Madam Alero who managed to ran out with a dress and wrapper. More than eighteen houses were all affected the houses of the following were also destroyed and looted Madam Grace Emakpor, Madam Alero, Madam Aguma Esther, Mr Henry Ojonia, Mr Freeborn Abaminido, Mr Sherrif, Mr Dolor Akputa ,Mr Nakos Jeresa, Mr Rarute Jeresa, Mr Efe Okoh, Mr Mike Omasibro, Mr Williams Ukuyoma, Mr Stanley Durume, Mr Jakpovi , Mr, Monday Ojonia, Madam Helen Agbofodoh, Mr Woko Agbofodoh, Madam Mary Omasheye and many other houses.
The hoodlums under the protection of the Army from 3battalion, did not end it there, people were beaten up and some young girls were got naked and raped and kept in hostage so as not to report the case to the police. They used the army to chased all those whose houses they destroyed and looted out of the community with their children as directed by their sponsors to take over the entire community as they were being empowered with two army posts to protect them as wreck Havoc in the community.
In the early hour of Thursday 7th July 2016 these assailants under the protection of the army from 3battalion stormed the house of High Chief Newton Agbofodoh ( the Head of Ekpan Community), they broke into the house looted his properties also on the 15th of July, 2016 High Chief Victor Otomiewo was ex-communicated from the community (he is the next to the Head of Ekpan Community), he was constantly harassed and intimidated, in the process of all the intimidations he was given an option by Mr. Bright Edejewhro (Commissioner for Local Govt and Chieftaincy Affairs) to dissolve all constituted body that is on ground set up by High Chief Newton Agbofodoh the detained Head of the Community which he obliged to and instituted an interim Management Committee and later was restored back to the community by Mr Bright Edejewhro on the 4th of August 2016. The house of Chief Newton Agbofodoh was set ablaze at about 1am, an eyewitness who recognized the presence of the following people Mr. Lawrence (Special Adviser to the Governor on Youth) Mr, Daniel Ighedo, Mr. Monday Oki, Mr Wilson Awana, Mr kingsley Enaworem, Mr Alex Omah a.k.a Aleke, Mr Napoleon Iffie, Mr Raphael Olomu, with the help of the eyewitness who call on the police and fire service to put out the fire with some neigbours who came out that night to assist were beaten up the next day by this government hoodlums.
All effort to get the arsonist arrested proved abortive as the police led by Mr Muazu the Warri Area Commander frustrated the purported arrested staged by the commissioner; the eyewitness Mr Wilson Omaju that went with the police as a pointer was matched and beaten to a “Coma” still laying down in the hospital.
They have vowed to kill all the youths they over thrown as Community Liaisons Officers whom they chased out of the community if found. In all of this, the Governor who is fully aware of this atrocity carried out by the hoodlums owned by his aides has neither made any broadcast to address the issues none make any attempt to make any arrest. These affected men and women who has been displaced of their homes and chased out of their ancestral home in this economy crisis are struggling indigenes of Ekpan community, who are neither link to the state government economy power to make ends meet has they continue to suffer and being separated from their loved ones.
On the 22nd of August 2016, One Mr Moses Kaizer who was among the people that has been in exile was beaten to death by this same state government hoodlums under the protection of the Nigerian Army stationed in Ekpan when they sighted him at the Najacat site, he was beaten up between the hours of 9am -11am before he gave up the ghost, at about 12pm, after beaten to death, the killers Monday Oki, Alex Omah a.k.a ALEKE, Harry Magbadje Eghrudje, Kingleys Enawore, Wilson Awana, Daniel Ighedo, and also Lawrence Ijel a.k.a. Ngozi, enforced the family members to bury the decease under duress at about 2am on 23rd August 2016, which they obeyed out of fear of being killed and threat to burn down their home. These youths has continued to boast day by day parading themselves that they have the protection of the governor’s aides and that nothing anybody can do to them.
The sister of the deceased who went to report the incident to the police is been threatened to be banished from the community by the representative of Okonwa government aides. It took the intervention of the Ekpan Development Community PRO Mr Joseph Uwaye who informed all security agents including the Cp Delta State before immediate response were made to exhumed the corpse and taking to the mortuary.
All avenue used, having written to all quarters to ensure peace is restored in the community by the Ekpan Development Community Leaders proved abortive as no positive impact of their letters to the various quarters which include, Delta State Commissioner of Police, Governor, Ifeanyi Okowa, the Chairman Uvwie Local Government, the president was also written last year but got no attention ( all documents would be made available at your request) the continuous embarrassment of these group of people holding the community to hostage is becoming unbearable as people are beginning to leave in fear and panic; as this might led to ill health in some people in the community. Total break down of Laws and order has become the order of the day in Ekpan community by these sets of people who terrorize the community by taking hostage, hence an urgent passionate call to rescue our community from the hands of the bloody and power drunk political aides is urgently needed to put an end to this ferocious mayhem in our community.
In our own part as member of Civil Society Organisation when the news got to us a month and two weeks after the mayhem occurred, to our greatest amazement no report of the incidents was reported by any media. The citizens and indigenes of Ekpan has been threatened not to speak with any journalist who intend to cover the mayhem in Ekpan else they would be banish from their ancestral home. These orders were given by the governor aides Mr Lawrence ijel aka Ngozi and Mr Bright Edejewhro to their hoodlums whom they are using to disturb the peace of the community.
A call was made immediately across to the DCP task force PRO Abuja, to assist us with the new CP number in Delta State, which was released to us, we contacted the Uvwie Chairman Mrs Stella Debonar, some of the Ekpan Development Community Leaders, and some key representative members representing the state in the Federal constituencies both upper and lower chambers via phone calls and text messages which they never responded to the complaints about the mayhem that has lasted over a months and yet still lingering. Some of the journalist we reported to, to investigate the mayhem was turned back by these state government owned hoodlums.
The gruesome death of the young man Moses Kaizer on the 22nd of August 2016 carried out by this state government owned hoodlums have brought terrible fear in the community. The situation in our community has taking another turn as people are now living in serious fear and panic in Ekpan Community, subjected to intimidation hence this call to SAVE OUR COMMUNITY FROM OPPRESSION AND ANARCHY STATE!
Please Sir, having exalted all avenue together with the Ekpan Development Community Leaders to restore peace in our community has yielded fruitless, hence we are appealing to you for the love of God to use your good offices (1) To declare the killers of Moses Kaizer WANTED (names mentioned above) as they have been on the run but soon return to the community and also call for the immediate arrest of these gangsters (Commissioner for Chieftaincy Affairs Mr Bright Edejewhor and his counterpart Mr. Lawrence Ijel a.k.a Ngozi) special adviser to governor Okonwa who are the sponsors of this youths and killers of Moses Kaizer. (2) To ensure the safety return of those unlawfully driven out and displaced while also ensuring justice is done to compensate them for all their losses by the state government. (3) To engage all Community Leaders in Ekpan and the entire Uvwie Leaders and stakeholders to a round table meeting which would involve the State Government, Civil defense, Civil Society Organization to foster absolute peace negotiation to put an end to the continuous crises that has bedeviled in Ekpan community in recent times.
We have no doubt that our passionate and helpless cry to save our people from oppression and intimidation to restore peace in our community would be taken seriously in all urgency. Visuals of burnt house of the Ekpan community chief and the young man {Wilson} matched; destroyed looted houses and deceased corpse exhumed would be submitted to you at your request.
Thank you Sir.
Yours faithfully
Lady Judith Edirin E.
+234 8055943551