The death of 12 persons in Oleh community, the headquarters of Isoko South Local Government Area of Delta State on October 16, 2020, has left indigenes of the community in agony. The incident occurred amid a lingering boundary dispute with neighbouring Ozoro community. Ozoro is the headquarters of Isoko North Local Government Area.
According to the Oleh Community Development Union, the victims were ambushed and killed in cold blood at Ada bush where they were working on their farmland. The leadership of the Oleh community accused some persons believed to be from Ozoro as the masterminds of the attack.
The union named some of the victims to include Mrs. Glory Emledafe, Mr Sunday Uyeh, Mr Victor Egeme, Mr Friday Egeme, Mrs. Bridget Egeme, Mrs. Naomi Egeme, Mr Ogheneovie Egeme, Mr Solomon Emmanuel and Mr Dennis Ojokojo whose bodies were recovered the same day by a combined search team of security outfits of the Isoko North and South council areas.
The remains of two others; Mr Ogagaoghene Oletabe and Mr Oghenekioja Egeme, according to the union’s President-General, Chief Believe Alakri, were recovered on October 21, 2020, while the whereabouts of one Orezimena Egeme is still unknown.
It was gathered that prior to the murder of the Oleh 12, Oleh community had earlier on August 9, 2020, recorded a similar attack, when farm workers at the same farmland located along Oleh/Ozoro Road, were dispossessed of their farming implements and mobile phones by people suspected to be from Ozoro community. The attack did not claim any casualties.
On October 9, 2020, crops worth millions of naira in another portion of land between Oleh and Ozoro, along Ughelli-Oleh-Ozoro Road, said to belong to Idivre and Ekre-Ethe families in Oleh community, were reportedly destroyed by people allegedly from Ozoro community. Just like the August attack, no life was lost in the incident.
A 57-year-old farmer and brother to the late Victor Egeme, Mr Sunday Egeme, said he lost seven family members to the incident.
He said, “They are my senior brother, Victor Egeme (62); my younger brother, Friday Egeme (over 50); Mr Naomi Egeme (wife to Victor); Mrs. Bridget Egeme (wife to Friday); Oghene Ovie (son to Victor); Oghenekioja Egeme (son to Friday) while Orezimena (son to Victor) is still missing. Needless repeating the obvious; this is an excruciating loss to my family. It’s painful and shocking indeed. It’s just like a horrible dream. Only God knows if we can ever recover from the pain.
“I am today a sad person. The responsibility of raising the children of my deceased brothers and their wives is obviously too weighty on me alone. I am profusely demanding for justice from the authorities. I am also appealing to the government to please think of how to take care of the children, their education, feeding and other things. All hopes are lost at the moment. I appeal to the government to bring the perpetrators of the crime to justice.’’
A daughter to Friday Egeme, Miss Ogheneke, who spoke from hospital bed at Central Hospital, Oleh, where she had been recuperating after the shock on receiving the news, said she couldn’t say how she got to the hospital.
She said, “I was shocked on hearing the news. I didn’t even know how I arrived at the hospital. But I was later told that I was rushed here and has been on admission since. I need nothing else but justice from the government. I can only plead with the government to do the needful by bringing the killers of my father and all others to justice without delay. This is all I can say for now.’’
A community leader, Chief Isaac Igbudu called on the state government to ensure that justice was served on the matter.
Igbudu further stated that but for the urgent intervention of the community elders, the incident would have escalated. He added, “We are still pleading with the affected families not to resort into any reprisal whatsoever in the belief that the government would be proactive and do justice. If we start retaliating, it could lead to a situation which no one could predict. As tension is still high in the community, the government should endeavour to fish out the perpetrators and make sure that justice is served. By so doing, the tension will reduce. If not, we do not know what the end of the matter will be.
“In order to avert recurrence, since the individual communal boundary has been defined by the entire Isoko Union, the communities should be made to abide by the recommendations.’’
Speaking further on the matter, Alakri noted that while appealing to our youths and the entire Oleh community, including the bereaved families, to remain calm, it was necessary to stress that Oleh was a peace-loving community having no boundary dispute with her other neighbouring communities such as Olomoro, Emede, Irri and Akiewhe-Owhe.
He urged the Inspector-General of Police, Mr Muhammed Adamu and the state Commissioner of Police, Mr Hafiz Inuwa, currently handling the matter, to spare no effort in arresting and prosecuting the murderers and their collaborators.
Credit: Punch