By Samuel Oyadongha & Emem Idio, Yenagoa

What is playing out in Odi in Kolokuma-Opokuma local government area of Bayelsa State in the wake of the N15bn Federal Government compensation for the 1999 military invasion and the sacking of the community, could best be described as shocking.

While some blame the tension in the community over the sharing of the compensation money on lack of understanding between the leaders and members of the community on what to do prior to the payment of the largesse, the unemployed and frustrated youths of the community want a piece of the cake. The community is divided and the essence of ploughing the money into infrastructural development might be a mirage.

After 15 years of waiting for justice from government over the 1999 military invasion which led to the sacking of their ancestral homes and loss of lives, reprieve came the way of the natives last February when a Federal High Court in Port Harcourt ordered N37.6bn compensation for the victims of the invasion.

Odi after the disturbance

The suit was filed by Prof. Kobina Keme-Ebi Imananagha, Chief Ndu Gwagha, Chief Shadrack Agadah, Mr. Idoni Ingezi and Mr. Nwaka Echomgbe, on behalf of Odi.

The community had, among other things, asked for N17.618bn as general damages, N20bn for special damages as well as a public apology and rebuilding of Odi by the Federal Government in the N100bn suit.

It was a surprise to many that a human right abuse case in the 21st century could drag on for 14 years.

The Federal High Court, presided over by Justice Lambo Akanbi, awarded Odi the N37.616, 871,000 compensation for the destruction of the community to be paid within 21 days.

On March 12, 2013, the court turned down a stay of execution of the judgement filed by the Attorney General of the Federation.

On May 14, 2013, the Court of Appeal in Port Harcourt granted the application by the AGF for an out of court settlement with Odi.

Consequently, on May 31, 2013, the Federal High Court, Port Harcourt, gave an order compelling the garnishee (Central Bank of Nigeria) to pay the judgement creditor/applicant (Odi) N37,616,871,000. The garnishee order nisi had a mandatory 17 days life span which gave the Federal Government yet another room to conclude the out of court settlement with Odi. But this was not to be.

The indigenes of Odi sometime, last December, staged a protest blocking the East West Road to compel the Federal Government to respect the court order.

However, the Federal Government agreed to pay N15bn to the community.

It was learnt that out of the initial N15billion paid, about N9bn was left after deduction by the consortium of lawyers engaged by the community and other sundry expenses.

But things have not been the same again in the community since the payment of the N15bn compensation. The division caused by the compensation snowballed into open skirmish last weekend when some youths attacked the deputy traditional head of the community, Chief Ebitimi Karuiru, and other indigenes over their alleged involvement in the sharing of the compensation money.

The youths, according to reports, were angry over alleged disappearance of over N600 million, which they claimed was deducted by the Odi invasion case committee headed by some prominent indigenes as payment for their efforts to secure the compensation for the community.

A vehicle burnt during last week’s mayhem

The youths, who went naked, marched through the town demanding for the heads of those identified as the beneficiaries of the missing N600million including chiefs and notable government officials from the community.

An eyewitness told Sunday Vanguard that the youths marched to the Odi burial site and invoked curses on those accused of diverting the funds for the victims of the invasion.

Though normalcy has been restored in the community following the intervention of the state government, the feeling of foreboding still pervades the community.

An indigene of the community, simply identified as Tombra, told Sunday Vanguard that though the community is peaceful, some people are still living in fear. “With the youth body yet to be constituted, the youths and sections of the community are currently divided,” he said.

The signatories to the community trust account could not be reached as they were said to have travelled while nobody was prepared to speak to visitors on the contentious issue.

But representatives of the families in the community have been summoned to a meeting with officials of the Bayelsa State government with a view to finding solution to the crisis.

When Sunday Vanguard visited the home of an Odi chief, Koku Imananagha, the compound was quiet. The security guard said, “My oga is not around. He travelled out of town and I don’t know when he will be back.”

At the home of the deputy traditional head, who was attacked and his SUV set ablaze during the orgy of violence that rocked the community, last weekend, only the charred remains of the car and livestock were proof that it was inhabited. The deputy traditional head, who is also the community chief priest, it was learnt, was receiving treatment in an undisclosed hospital in the state.

Before the violence that unsettled the community, the process of sharing the largesse among the people was ongoing and indigenes at home and abroad were mandated to visit home for biometric accreditation.

It was, however, learnt that with three families remaining, the accreditation was suspended when it was alleged that disbursements were secretly made to some individuals.

Mobile policemen have been deployed to Odi to maintain law and order.

A community source, who pleaded anonymity, said the protest by the youths was a response to the alleged diversion of funds by the committee in charge of the N15billion compensation.

It was learnt that out of the alleged missing N600million, N300million has been recovered, while the other half is expected to be refunded by those given by the committee.

The state government through the office of the Deputy Governor, Rear Admiral Gboribiogha John Jonah (rtd), has demanded for the list of the beneficiaries of the missing money.

Present at a meeting to fashion out a way forward for the troubled community, it was learnt, were indigenes of the area including commissioner for ICT, Hon Ndutimi Komonibo, special adviser to the governor on security matters, Col. Bernard Kenebai (rtd), among others.

A source at the meeting told Sunday Vanguard, “The issue of the sharing of the money has become a poisoned chalice to the community. If not for the intervention of the state government,  Odi would have boiled again. At the meeting convened by the state government, it was agreed that representatives of women and youths should be included for wider representation in the N15bn compensation money committee.

“It was also agreed that the signatories to the compensation money account should be changed. And the N9bn should be domiciled in a special account pending the resolution of the issues.”