By Emma Amaize, Regional Editor, South-South

EKPAN community in Uvwie Local Government Area, Delta State, is one community that is so strategically located to reap copiously from the presence of oil companies in Warri, the oil capital of the state. Indeed, because of its setting, it is host to the Warri Refining and Petrochemicals Company, WRPC, and other oil servicing and allied companies. However, the divine location, which, ordinarily should be a source of joy to the people, has become a foundation for hostilities and bloodbaths. Rather than live in peace and enjoy the benefits from the companies, the issue of who becomes Community Liaison Officers, CLOs and leadership tussle have torn relatives apart as brothers kill brothers without winking eyelid in Ekpan.

*Chief Newton Agbofodoh

In the last few months, armed members of the two factions battling for CLO positions had killed no fewer than 10 persons. Saturday Vanguard learned that on one side of the divide are community members in support of the governor, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa and on the other side, are those opposed to his emergence in the first instance as governor. The governor, who hates bloodshed, is not privy to the undercurrents associated with his name in Ekpan, arguably the most volatile city in the state.

Ekpan alone has at least 13 companies, among them Daewoo Nigeria Limited, Petroleum Products and Marketing Company, PPMC, NestOil Plc and DBN Nigeria Limited, while the community as host appoints their CLOs and the cabal in control at any point in time feeds fat on largesse from the firms.

How fresh crisis started

Trouble, however, hit the community when the traditional ruler, High Chief Newton Agbofodoh   June 11, last year, dissolved the CLOs representing the community in the various companies and replaced them with new ones. Since then, peace has eluded the turbulent community. While some persons viewed Agbofodoh’s   action as something within the competence of the traditional ruler to do, others saw it as a punitive act calculated to teach those in the camp of the governor a lesson.

In fact, the sacking of the CLOs shattered the fragile peace in the community. The new CLOs took over affairs to the consternation of supposed Okowa men. With the triumph of Okowa and his consequent swearing –in, May last year, the CLOs sacked for working for him decided to stage a comeback by whatever means possible.  The opportunity did not present itself until January 8, this year, when the former chairman of the Uvwie local government council, known to be Agbofodoh’s confidant, Mr. Henry Baro, had a public row with two naval officers that turned awry.

Hooligans interfere

Hoodlums seized the opportunity to invade the Delta City Mall, aka Shoprite, in Effurun, vandalized shops and stole items. Unfortunately for Baro, who was having issues over his loyalty or otherwise to Okowa, his opponents exploited the situation against him.

Killing field

Armed members of both factions turned the Shoprite incident to a full-scale battle, as the warlords shot dead 40-year-old Afor Emero at Alaka, Effurun over the Shoprite crisis. Two days after, January 10, they killed 25-year-old Onyebuchi Nwachukwu at Petroleum Training Institute, PTI, Junction, Effurun. Same day, at Alegbo Junction, Effurun, during the Shoprite crisis, Onohwo Umere was gunned down and the cases transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department, SCID, Asaba.

Four days after the incident, January 12, unidentified gunmen killed 19-year-old Blessing Osuma at Victoria Street, off Uti Road, Effurun. Same day, the Delta State Police Command declared Baro and Napoleon Odibu wanted and tension hit the roof. The power tussle eventually consumed Baro, who was on suspension at the time.   He was relieved of his job by the state House of Assembly some months later. Sources close to Agbofodoh claimed that the rival faction used security agents to intimidate and arrest members of the community opposed to the governor’s camp.

The power struggle continued March 4 when they shot dead 64 –year-old Emmanuel Baah at Uti Street, Effurun and on June 12, they shot dead Obolor Tega at Okoloba Road, Effurun. In an apparent reprisal, loyalists of Obolo Tega beat 23-year-old Oghenevwire Joshua to death on same day. A week after, a group of armed youths broke into Chief Agbofodoh’s compound at about 6.30 am and allegedly stole N4 million cash, jewelries worth N10 million and vandalized a Toyota Hilux and Honda Accord belonging to the monarch.

On March 20, unknown persons shot dead one Lucky Umukoro at Ekpan roundabout during a scuffle between Lawrence Ijeh and Marley Omatseye factions. Members of one of the contenting groups killed Actress Newton Ogodor on April 15, while the following day, April 16, another group killed John Mogigi along Nigeria Ports Authority, NPA Expressway by Shinkeli, Ekpan. A police source told Saturday Vanguard that all the cases were under investigation, adding that the Area Commander, Warri, ACP Mu’Azu Mohammed, had ordered a mop up of all illegal arms/ammunition and immediate arrest of all the miscreants.

Ovie of Uvwie wades in

The monarch, who confirmed months before his arrest that the problem in the community was over the selection of CLOs, said one of the representatives whose tenure expired in 2015, used his friends in government to extend the tenure of the dissolved liaison officers and this did not go down well with the community. The community took the state government to the court   and His Majesty, the Ovie of Uvwie,   after a meeting with the governor, directed Agbofodoh to withdraw the case, November, last year, which he did.

Agbofodoh bows, begs Okowa

It was not clear why the matter degenerated to the present level, but Chief Agbofodoh, in his Easter message, appealed to Governor Ifeanyi Okowa to forgive whatever wrong he and others in the community might have committed to steer the community from renewed crisis. He said the appeal had become imperative following feelers he received that the governor was   unhappy with him over his perceived role in the rancour that had defined party politics and communal leadership in Ekpan in recent times.

His words:   “I have been briefed by the Palace in Uvwie on your (Okowa) advice to me. I am your boy and remain your boy until date, what seem as misunderstanding is a communication gap and the antics of rumour mongers.” “I beg for forgiveness in areas you feel offended. I pledge my loyalty to you and your government and appeal for audience with you to chart a way forward, forgive me and the entire Ekpan people in the spirit of Easter,” he said.

Agbofodoh exonerated the Nigerian Army and Police in the destruction that followed the security operatives’ raid on his home and other quarters in the community in an exercise to mop up arms. He said, “The soldiers were not the ones who pillaged my home during their arms mop up. It was immediately after they left that hoodlums cashed in to vandalize and loot my property. “I am also vindicated that the security teams did not find any incriminating object during their raid in my home. It is imperative that the Inspector General of Police looks into the damage done to my property over the incident.”

Appeal didn’t stop arrest

His passionate appeal about three months ago did not, however,   stop his arrest on June 17 by the police.   The police stormed his residence and whisked him to the SCID, Asaba for investigations to ascertain the level of his complicity or otherwise. Saturday Vanguard learned that in spite of the arrest of the monarch, ACP Mohammed had directed the Divisional Police Officer, Ekpan and his men to keep an eye on the area to ward off further disturbance from the warring factions. A police source disclosed: “The Area Commander has told the DPO unmistakably that he does not want any more crisis in Ekpan and sometimes, you see him drive unobtrusively to strategic locations in the area to find out if the DPO and his officers were complying with his instructions.”