Soldiers didn't fight anybody, Delta Community declares ...says allegation against Army typical lies

Contrary to negative media reports, the Okpare-Olomu Community youth leader in Ughelli South Local Government Area of Delta State, Andrew Okpogbodu today said soldiers didn't fight a soul in the Community. 

Okpogbodu made the assertion in a telephone chat with Our Correspondent. 

He said, all the allegations leveled against the soldiers by the President-General, Okiemute Otoka were "typically lies" aimed to tarnish the good image of the Nigerian Army. 

Narrating how the incident occurred on Saturday December 28, Okpogbodu added that the Police also did not fight anyone. 

Okpogbodu said the Policemen in company of vigilante operatives were mobilised to make peace as well as forestall any breakdown of law and order when the President-General, Okiemute Otoka allegedly mobilised some Community youths loyal to him to attack as they stoned and carted away the service rifle of a Policeman. He added that, they (youths) shot and injured one of the vigilantes who now still in the hospital.

He said the Soldiers were called to quel the situation which was already tensed in the area by giving supports to the Policemen.

Okpogbodu noted the Soldiers recovered the gun belonging to the Policemen and handed it over to them. According to him, "The Soldiers and the Police did not fight anybody."

Okpogbodu noted that the Community had some internal differences and a three(3) man committee was set up to come up with a recommendation on how to resolve the issues on ground. 

He said attempt by the Ughelli Area Commander of the Nigeria Police Force to resolve the matter was  rebuffed by the President-General, Okiemute Otoka who according to him said, "nobody should talk to him."

Okpogbodu said the PG wants  to hold a conference but he was pleaded with not to hold same until all issues on ground are resolved but he refused. 

He said they(Community) prevailed on the Local Government Council to interfer in the matter and they wrote him a letter to that effect but he(PG) refused and went ahead in an attempt to organise the conference. 

On his part, President-General of Okpare-Olomu Community in Ughelli South Local Government Area of Delta State,Mr. Okiemute Otoka today said there's no faction in the Community saying the Community is still one and not divided."We have over 95% of persons who are fighting for their rights against injustice of some persons."

Otoka said the current crisis rocking the Community is caused by some members of the Elders Council who specialize  in grabbing and the  sales of  people's lands illegally without  notices of the families that own the lands. 

In a telephone chat with Our Correspondent in Warri on Saturday December 28,Otoka said these elders  who pride themselves as "Super Elders" take arbitrary decisions against as well as suspend fellow elders who do not support their alleged criminal activities in the Community.

Otoka said the Super Elders don't want anyone to question their actions and because of that, people are scared of them. 

Narrating how the crisis started, Otoka said the Community's annual conference which is the highest where individuals who are oppressed bare their minds had not been conducted for the past seven(7)years. Otoka said when he assumed office as President-General, he insisted/refused to indulge in the illegal sales of people's lands with Super Elders where other young persons do because they feed from such. 

"What happened is that I held a quarterly meeting in May and because of the issues arising, I told them that we have 3- point agenda which include security of the community, sales of illegal land and constitution review. 

"The Super Elders who are responsible for illegal sales of land knew that l am threading on the path where they went to do whatever they can do to me. 

"Spiritually, they've gone to so many witch- doctors and others but does  work. So, they need the physical part of it. 

"As I speak with you, after that 1st Quarterly meeting where those agenda  were raised, that's where they decided to give me from one  problems to another.

"The youth leader is also part of the people grabbing people's land. The place he built his house belongs  to another person. He also knows  the line l am  towing, I am  trying to sanitize the place, errors made by them."

While noting that the youth leader was in position before he assumed office as President-General,Otoka said he(youth leader) has been aiding and abetting with the Super Elders. 

Otoka said when the Super Elders knew the Community's annual conference will hold by December 26, they went to Umolo District Customary Court that has no jurisdiction to entertain community development matters. 

"They went to High Court to seek an injunction to restrain me. The High Court did not do it. They went to the Magistrate Court, the Magistrate Court did not do it. So, they went to the District Customary Court. So, the Customary Court just gave them an injunction order. I  that have  been in government almost a year without considering the constitution,you grant an interim injunction for me to hand over to Vice. So, what I did was that, I tried to vacate the order but because he has been bribed, he didn't vacate the order". 

Otoka said, he later filed a "Stay of Execution" to set aside the injunction which is not supposed to exceed one week. 

According to Otoka, some members of the Elders Council went to the Local Government Council December 23 that the annual conference should not hold. 

"l am  the PG. I  am supposed to be the one afraid that the conference should not hold. The conference is the decision making body where any erring leader can also be impeached. 

"Before now, they've written some petitions to Okorodudu that I have embezzled Community's money. I told them the Conference is on December 26 and if I embezzle money, it's the constitution that such allegation should be raised in the conference. Then 2/3 majority present in the conference will lead an impeachment."

Otoka alleged that a powerful politician is  in connivance  with the Super Elders and the Local Government Council wrote a letter that the conference shouldn't hold. 

He insisted that the conference must hold that the Local Government Council does not have the right to stop a constituted conference. He pointed out that the letter the Local Government Council wrote was a "request letter" and not an "Order". 

He said: " let the conference hold so that they repeat these allegations in the conference so that the 2/3 majority impeach me if I err."

Otoka said the Super Elders refused because they were allegedly used by a politician during the last election. 

A source within the Nigerian Army who craved anonymity denied the allegations saying, "Soldiers did not shoot anybody. We cannot kill our citizens in this Country. The report on air is all lies against the Nigerian Army. The Army have a good relationship with Civil Populace everywhere even in that Okpare-Olomu Community. We have been friendly and will continue to be friendly to Nigerians everywhere we are. We only went there back the Police,Our sister Security agencies up. We did not invade the town hall. We didn't beat anybody. Even the Police didn't fight anyone. It's sad that people only want to talk bad of the things they hear and not even see about the Nigerian Army".