Alleged Attack: Elders Of Ekhor-Nuwaya Community Seeks Intervention Of Security Agencies, Oba Ewuare II

By Simeon OSAJIE

The elders and people of Ekhor-Nuwaya community in Uhunmwonde local government areas of Edo State have appealed to His Royal Majesty, Oba Ewuare II, Oba of Benin Kingdom and security agencies to come to their aid on what they described as the continuous attack on the residents of the community by one David Aghama and his cohorts.

This is coming as a result of the recent alleged shooting by David Aghama who came into the community with some person who are not indigenes attacking the houses of the second in command (Ozukpogieva) Pa Anthony Irogbetin Edokpayi and the people who objected to his unlawful means to be the Okaighele in the village.

Narrating their ordeals on behalf of the elders and people of the community to newsmen after an enlarged meeting, the General Secretary, Comrade Nosakhare Ojo Obazee said it all started when the David Aghama allegedly led youths numbering about 20 invaded the village, shooting sporadically, breaking doors of houses in search of those who opposed him in his unlawful means to be the Okaighele.

Comrade Obazee added that after the demise of the Odionwere Pa Izegbuwa Egiavoen, the second in command, Pa Anthony Edokpayi alongside Pa Noragbon, other elders and Okaighele, Mr. Igie Iruomana were now saddled with the responsibility of administering the affairs of the village.

“After the death of the Odionwere and the necessary interment and burial rites duly completed, the mantle of leadership was solely rested on the elders of the village and the Okaighele, but a group of persons led by one miscreant called David Aghama, aka ‘Junior Eziza’, came up and forcefully  took over the mantle from the Okaighele and the elders were not comfortable with such unruly behavior since such negates to the customs and traditions of the village and Benin Kingdom,” he said.

Going further Comrade Obazee added that the said David Aghama forcefully brought himself to the mantle of leadership and for the four months period of coming on board, it was characterized by illegalities, violence and deaths because the elders were relegated but the illegal people now in charge carrying out so many unwholesome atrocities that led to the death of one Saturday Idahosa, a youth from the village.

He noted that as a result of the ugly experience, the elders took their complaint to the Palace of the Oba of Benin Kingdom and the Nigeria Police, the Oba in his wisdom gave the final judgement that the Okaighele in the person of Igie Iruomana was the authentic person as Okaighele untill a new Odionwere would be installed.

Obazee noted that upon the judgment, Mr. Igie Iruomana took over as the Okaighele but the said David Aghama was not comfortable with the new development because the little time he was there as the unlawful Okaighele sold over a hundred plots of land belonging to the village without approval from the elders and converted the proceed to his personal use and when the elders got to know about the unlawful sales, they declared the sales null and void.

He subsequently said after the powers have been stripped from the said David Aghama aka Eziza, he joined forces with the neighboring villages like Emu, invaded the village after writing fictitious petition to the Police CID alleging that he was chased out of the village, in another occasion he came into the village with some policemen at the middle of the night and forcefully break into the houses of one Friday Akenuwa,  Osarumwense Edokpayi brutalized dehumanized them and some of their properties were carted away in the process.

“The said David and his cohorts also went to the residence of one Friday Asuyi ransacked his house and bundled him away that night and also one Osaguona Igbinoba and got him arrested for just no course.

“The Police were doing their job and we were not disturbed about it, but what got us worried was that after the police had done their job as we presumed, just the following day at full day these thugs led by the same David Aghama came back to the village with their guns and started shooting sporadically all over the place, youths women including children who were going to school, their farms and their place of legitimate business were all disrupted as they had to run for their lives,” he said.

He added that the elders and youth not wanting to take the laws in their hands, cried to Okhuaihe Police Station and the police responded swiftly and waded into the attack and six of the attackers were apprehended  with guns and other dangerous weapons, hence the further appealed to the Oba and Police to come to their aid.

Contacted, the DPO of Okhuaihe Police Station,  SP. Brown Jude confirmed the arrest of some alleged attackers in Ekhor-Nuwaya village and that they have been transferred to  the State Police Command, Benin City for further investigation.