By Emma  Amaize

SINCE May 7, 2012, when a terror gang whose members were, more often than not, garbed in military uniforms unleashed a reign of terror on the people of Okuama community in Ughelli South Local Government of Delta State, murdering two persons in cold blood and injuring a housewife, peace has taken an inconvenient flight from the once burstling  riverside community.

Chairman of the community, Mr. Jonah Obrite  told Crime Alert few days ago that “As I speak to you, we are living in fear, the terrorists have threatened to come back and attack the community. People don’t sleep well in the daytime, not to talk of  night; there is fear everywhere, we used to enjoy peace, but not any more”.

His apprehension was shared by the Ogbovwudu of Ewu kingdom, High Chief Jonathan Edojakwa, JP, who asserted: “The gang has desecrated Okuama community with blood, we don’t even go to farm any more, our agricultural crops are dying, we travel with fear, as the leader of the terror gang is everywhere with his soldiers to harm us. Our minds are not settled and our people don’t go to market at the neighbouring Okwagbe freely again for fear of being arrested or kidnapped by the gang”.

Another member of the community, Mr. Joseph Okugbaye said: “We have never seen this kind of thing before. We had no quarrel with our neighbour before soldiers were sent to kill our people. We are calling on Delta State government and the Federal Government to come to our rescue”.

Sources said the terror gang is allegedly led by an indigene of Okuama (names withheld), living like an outlaw in the creek. The gang leader was purported to have raped a widow, refused to pay community development levy and molested those sent to collect levy from him.

Company of a private army

He was said to be carrying out his activities in the company of a private army. It was learnt that even after his notoriety  was reported to the police at Area Commander’s Office, Ughelli, he defiantly continued with his fear-provoking activities. But, how could one man cause an entire community such apprehension with the law unable to tame him?

Genesis: Okuama community chairman, Mr. Obrite told Crime Guard that the unnamed gang leader was reprimanded, February, by the community after he buried his wife, a non indigene from Oviri town in Okuama’s land “in violation of our tradition.” He was ordered to relocate from his “haven”, an isolated fishing settlement in the creek to live with his kinsmen in  the community, but he took umbrage.

He said: “Okuama and Oviri communities have an age long land dispute and if we allowed him to bury his wife, who is from Oviri in our land without saying anything, the people of Oviri will claim that it is their land later because their daughter was buried there.”

To enforce the decision on the gang leader to relocate from his isolated home in the creek, the community, which reported the violation of its customs (burial of his wife in Okuama land) to his father, sent some able bodied men to evacuate his property.

Incensed by the action of his kinsmen, the terrorist, leading his band, invaded the community. Their first port of call was the community’s town hall, where they attempted to kidnap some of the youth leaders. The youth leader of the town, Mr. Emarehor Joshua, was taken away when his wife, Mrs. Mary Oghenevware Joshua, got wind and dashed out but she was shot in the process. Residents of the community who spoke to Crime Alert said the gang came with soldiers. Two  indigenes, Mr. Ojiyovwi Meshack and Mrs. Miriam Resident, were shot dead in the fracas that ensued that day.

Gang used military to attack: In a petition, dated May 24, addressed to the Inspector General of Police, by its counsel, Oghenejabor Ikimi Esq, the community said that while police were handling the matter “the suspects on May 7, 2012, went to the Joint Task Force, JTF, stationed at Okwagbe Inland, wherein the said force again invaded Okuama community this time with two speed boats of armed personnel.

They shot sporadically in the said community for about two hours and in the process, one Mrs. Mary Oghenvware Joshua was injured, while Mr. Ojiyovwi Meshack and Mrs. Miriam Resident died. Their bodies lie cold at the mortuary of the General Hospital, Otu-Jeremi till date”.

Residents relive day of horror: Okuama youth leader, Mr. Joshua, told Crime Alert that he was in the town hall with other youth leaders to mobilize the people for environmental sanitation when the gang, which came with soldiers, started dragging him and his spokesman to the waterside, an incident that attracted other members of the community.

It was learnt that as villagers gathered at the town hall to challenge the squad, the invaders moved to the residence of the community chairman, Mr. Obrike and tried to forcefully take him away. They met a stout opposition which actually resulted in the gunfire that killed Meshack and Mrs. Resident.

Mr. Daniel Resident, elder brother to late Mrs. Resident said: “She was shot by the soldiers that came to arrest the community chairman around 6.00 am on May 7. People trooped out when they arrested the chairman, but he told them that he would not follow them unless they take him first to the town hall for the community to know those that arrested him and where they were taking him to.”

Peace efforts bungled: Mr. Obrite said efforts to resolve the matter were bungled when the gang leader, supported by his father, insisted that the community should pay him N600, 000 as damages for coming to his safe haven to pack his property in a bid to compel him to relocate to Okuama, as his activities in the habitat was creating friction between Okuama and Oviri communities.

The community, however, refused to pay the damages he demanded and also expressed anger that its emissaries, Mr. Money Boku, Aghogho Ishani and Luke Oseveta were arrested by the police at the behest of supposed terrorist. He said the community reported the criminal activities of the gang leader to the police at Area Command, Ughelli, but no sooner was he arrested did his father use his influence to release him on bail.

Unpredictable situation

He said: “We decided to transfer the matter to the office of the Assistant Inspector General of Police, AIG, in Benin City, but by that time, they were to appoint AIG for Zone 5 and the Commissioner of Police, Asaba ruled that the matter be handled by the State Command. Since then, the situation has  remained unpredictable for us”.

Alleged ‘military’ connection: Counsel to the community, Oghenejabor Ikimi, explained that his clients informed him that the chief suspect and his gang brought soldiers from a military outpost at Okwagbe, near Ughelli, to invade the community, adding, “They just briefed me, I was not the one handling their case before now. We have sent a letter to the Inspector General of Police and the Chief of Defence Staff, we will forward our petition to military authorities too”.

A community leader said whilst the gang leader and one of his brothers who is actually his cousin wore military camouflage on that day, military men believed to have come from an outpost at Okwagbe joined them in the attack.

Reminded that it was very unlikely that serving soldiers would go for an operation with civilians, armed and clad in military outfit like them, the source maintained that he saw the gang leader and others in military dress, and it was the army commander who came with them that provided unofficial cover for the criminal invasion.

The community chairman, Mr. Obrike, said that after the Joint Task Force, JTF, got to know that some persons were killed in the community during the May 7 invasion, the commander at the said outpost sent some persons to the community to wash off their hands and that of the task force.

Obrike said the military officer requested for a meeting with him (chairman) and other Okuama leaders at Okwagbe through the representatives he sent including one Chief Kaku, the chairman of Okwagbe waterside and another, identified as Abacha.

His words: “We told them to go back and tell the soldiers that sent them to Okuama to come by themselves the following day and the information we got later was that they said they would not be able to come because of the implication to their job; we later heard that the leader of the task force at Okwagbe was hurriedly transferred. We have not officially complained to the JTF because we are afraid, we don’t know who is who, but we have just resolved that our lawyer is going to write them officially.”