BY JIMITOTA ONOYUME,      Port Harcourt
The dust generated by the death of a  3SC player, Joseph Izu, in the hands of soldiers who came after cultists in  Okarki  still hangs in the air, two weeks after the sad incident when Sunday Vanguard visited the community on Tuesday,

Okarki  is in Ahoada West local government area of Rivers State. Meanwhile, you go through neighbouring Bayelsa State to access it.

From Ugusha Street, the major road leading to the ancient part of the community where the sad incident took place, Sunday Vanguard noticed  natives wearing mournful looks.

Those who spoke  said most people were in church, penultimate Sunday, when, suddenly, they started hearing gunshots in the community. “Nobody could say what was happening. Some of us ran into nearby houses for safety. It was later we saw that those shooting were soldiers. But we remained indoors “, Mercy Inidi, one of the residents, said.

Izu Joseph

It was gathered that the soldiers acted on a tip off that suspected cultists were smoking Indian hemp at a spot by the Orashi river in the community they code named Ghetto.

The traditional ruler of Okarki Kingdom, Elijah Aduan, told Sunday Vanguard, in his palace, that he recently sent town criers round the town to warn residents to stay away from the spot. He said this was after he had asked youths to pull down  a shed cultists erected at the spot  in a bid to discourage their gathering there but the hoodlums rebuilt it.

“That place they call Ghetto, I proclaimed round Okarki, that nobody should go there to smoke or take hard drugs. I even ordered my youths to destroy the place. It is unfortunate innocent people fell victim there. I destroyed the place in June when  Rivers State Police Commissioner asked us to warn our subjects because of insecurity in Orashi region”, he said.

The monarch alleged that one  Oko Whisky, who also died during the military raid, was the leader of the cultists in the area, adding that he even mobilised his boys to attack the Youth President of the community for daring to pull down the shed.

He said though the soldiers did not notify him before invading the community the day they did, he would not condemn their action because there was need to rid the area of brigands and hoodlums.

The royal father said it was unfortunate that the football star, Izu, was with the suspected cultists at the time soldiers attacked. He said  Izu was not a cultist but he only found himself at a wrong place when the soldiers struck.

“There is no shrine there as reported in the media. It is their (cultists) base. I didn’t  know Izu as a cultist or a criminal. It is unfortunate if he had gone to a place I stopped people from going to. He was a very small boy; so I didn’t know much about him but I was told he was not a cultist, he was innocent. But I cannot condemn the action of the military”, Aduan said.

Accounts of how Izu, Whisky died

While Reuben Izu, the late footballer’s father, said his son was bathing in nearly river when he was killed, some eye witnesses said he was shot twice in front of a primary school.

Sunday Vanguard gathered that the soldiers started shooting when they got close to the hideout of the cultists. Most of the suspected  cultists, it was learnt, immediately jumped into the river.

The alleged cult leader, Whisky, aka Anchor, reportedly died in the river from bullet injuries.

Peter (not real name), who claimed  to be among those that jumped into the river, said he quickly raised his two hands up in surrendering position while in the river. And the soldiers told him to swim to the shore. He was immediately arrested when he did.

He said Izu was with them at the Ghetto when the soldiers came. Unlike others who jumped into the river, he said the football star ran towards buildings around Okarki Primary School area, adding that the soldiers went after him.

“Izu was inside the Ghetto. I was also there. We had gathered there to smoke Indian hemp. I am not a cultist. One of the guys with us stood up when he saw the soldiers coming and shouted, “See, they are coming o”. Most of us quickly jumped into   the river.

“The soldiers opened fire on us. At a point, I raised my two hands. When they saw that I had raised my hands, they asked me to come “, he said.

Another eye witness, Franca (not real name ), said she saw when the soldiers shot Izu. According to her, they first opened fire on  his leg and released a second bullet that hit him on the waist.

“I was in the house, cooking when  I heard gunshots. I ran outside, saw soldiers and ran inside again to call my dad who was sleeping. Then I ran into the room. I saw this guy who was shot on the leg. They were asking him what he went there to do at the shrine and he kept shouting that he was innocent, he showed them his identity card. They shot him again and dragged him close to the river where they left him”, she said.

Mr Rena Maxwell is the landlord of the building in front of where Izu was shot in Ajegule area of the community. He said he was not at home when the incident occurred but when he came he saw blood on the ground and asked questions. And he was told soldiers shot Izu at the spot,

“I saw pool of blood here( pointing at the spot on the ground) and I asked my wife what happened and she said they shot the footballer, Joseph, here. And he fell down and they started interviewing him. He told them he was a footballer and that they should look at his wallet for his identity card “, he said.

Youth President of the community, Mr Stanley Aguru, also said he heard the late football star was shot twice before he died.

He said they were class mates in secondary school, describing him as a gentle man.

“ Izu was my class mate at Okarki Secondary School. He was a gentle boy. He was either at home or at the field training “, he added,

Aguru said he was not happy that the soldiers kept their plan to storm the community away from leaders of the community. According to him, the community leaders would have assisted them with useful information on their operation.

‘Whisky was a cultist’

The Youth President alleged that Whisky, who also died during the military raid, was the leader of a cult group in the community and operated the Ghetto. He recalled that when he demolished the Ghetto on the order of the community’s monarch, Whisky invaded his house with members of his group.

“The action of the military, I will not support it. If they had information that bad boys were in  town, they should have contacted us. We arrested some bad boys before and handed them over to security operatives but they released them,”he said.

“We all knew Whisky as a stubborn person. He sold hard drugs. We destroyed the place  but they rebuilt it.

“I led the community to destroy the place. They (cultists) brought machetes and guns to attack me, for one week, I ran from my house.”

Another resident, Lady Inidi, who lived on the same street with Izu, described the deceased footballer as a quiet and innocent young me . She said he was fondly called O’ Boy in the area.

“Izu was a good boy. He went to take his bath to go to church when the incident happened. He was begging them that he was a footballer. They first shot him on the leg   and later on the waist,”she added.

“Anytime he was  around, the boys were happy. Okarki is not a community where we hide criminals. The soldiers should have met the leaders of the community for information before coming in “.

Chief Ebi Akaliso also described the late footballer as a good person who will be greatly missed.

“Izu was a player, he was a good person. We have not found him to be a bad boy. He was a very gentle boy”, he said.

Meanwhile,  a  source, who did not want his name in print, said Izu’s hairstyle may also have contributed to why he was shot.

According to the community source, the footballer had this punk hair style that could make security operatives, who did not know him, associate him with cult groups. “ The hairstyle could trouble any security man on a mission to rid an area of cultism. I am sure the soldiers were likely uncomfortable with it and concluded that he must be one of the bad boys they came for”.

Separately, the Army has ordered a full scale investigation into the incident to determine the circumstance of the death. Brigade Commander, 2 Brigade, Port Harcourt, Brigadier General Hassan Hamisu, disclosed this in the Rivers State capital.

Relocation

When Sunday Vanguard visited the late footballer’s house in the community, it was locked. Those around said his wife, who sold petty things in front of the house, had relocated to the father-in-law’s house in Port-Harcourt.

Traditional ruler begs for police station, funding from Rivers Govt.

In a related development, the community’s monarch, Aduan, appealed to the Rivers  government to help equip a police station in the area he got approval for.

He said the police approved a  station for the area but asked the community to equip it.

“I wrote to the IG to approve a police station here. Till today, the matter is neither here nor there. Government is not spending on this community. Allocation for the area ends at the council headquarters,”he stated.

“They approved a police station here but the police asked me to furnish it. I have written to the state government, but there has been  no response. Our secondary school is bushy, no water. I am shouldering the burden of this community alone, government has not come to my aid.”