The People of Oko Community have called on President Goodluck Jonathan
to caution the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Abubakar Mohammed to show
respect for their traditional institution.
They made the charge through their President
General, Mr. Ike Nwammuo in Awka, Anambra state capital, to express their
displeasure at the manner their traditional ruler, Igwe Laz Ekweme was being
dragged to the mod at the instance if many Nigerians at the maiden Anambra
State Security meeting organized by the state Governor, Chief Willie Obiano.
They stressed their position by letting
the president to know the plight of the community where a traditional ruler would
be lampooned by a serving Inspector General of Police on a life broadcast
programme to the world, said they would resist any further action to put the
community again in a bad light.
" We demand that the Inspector General
of Police, Mr. Mohammed Abubakar, offer an unreserved apology to the Oko Community
for the denigration of the person, and office of our traditional ruler, Igwe
Professor Laz Ekweme, Ezejiakala II through his unguarded utterance at the
Anambra State Security Meeting” they demanded.
They called on the President Godluck Jonathan through the
Supervising Minister of Education, Barrister Nyeson Wike to review the re-appointment
of Professor Godwin Onu as the Rector of Oko Polytechnic, whose tenure has elapsed
since March 14, 2014 and re-constitute a fresh council of the Federal Polytechnic Oko.
The President General further condemned what
he described as unruly activities of Chief Emeka Ofor for being overbearing and
alleged of his involvement in the ongoing crisis between the Oko Community against the Federal Institution.
Reacting to the allegation, the Public
Relation officer of the Federal Polytechnic Oko, Mr. Obini Onuchuwu condemned the allegations and
called on the elders of the community to engage themselves in something meaningful,
rather than causing disharmony between the community against the institution.
Read the full copy of the text Below..
MAYHEM IN OKO AND THEIR MASTERMINDS: DEMAND FOR JUSTICE BY THE OKO COMMUNITY
MAYHEM IN OKO AND THEIR MASTERMINDS: DEMAND FOR JUSTICE BY THE OKO COMMUNITY
(Being the text of the Speech by the President of Oko Peoples
Union, OPU,the umbrella organization of Oko Community at the Press Conference
on the recent Mayhem in Oko and Destruction
of the Palace of His Royal Highness, Igwe Professor Laz Ekwueme, Eze Ijikalla
II, Igwe of Oko)
At the twilight of Easter Saturday, 19th of April,
2014, a group of boys, numbering over 17, with arms and other dangerous
weapons, shooting indiscriminatingly, chanting war songs, invaded the Palace of
the Igwe of Oko, His Royal Highness, Professor Laz Ekwueme, Eze Ijikalla II,
and engaged in wanton destruction of everything in sight. They unleashed
mayhem, vandalizing and looting all valuable property, personal effects and
cash all running into millions of naira. Three vehicles were burnt in the
palace alone. Igwe’s dwelling house was broken
into and everything within it either looted or destroyed. The other two
buildings, including the Palace of the late Igwe Justus Ekwueme, within the
premises, in addition to the gate house and the perimeter fence were all badly
damaged, vandalized and the glass windows smashed. One of them was shouting
orders that they drag the Igwe out and Kill him but fortunately for Oko
Community, the Igwe had managed to escape through a backdoor before their
arrival. His Wife, Professor Lucy Ekwueme, was not as lucky as she sustained
deep cut in her feet while attempting to escape through the fence, where she
hid out of their sight.
After the destruction at
the Igwe’s Palace, the group led by
the renegade youths recently excommunicated by Oko community for their
nefarious and criminal activities, marched through the Oko City Centre, down to
Amaokpala, a neighbouring town of about
six kilometres from Igwe’s palace, burning,
attacking, destroying and looting everything on their way. They beat up several
persons including one Chijioke Nwankwor who received a very deep slitting wound
on his arm, Sunday Okeke (also known as Manjigon) whom they also set his
motorcycle ablaze, smashed and vandalized motor vehicles belonging to several
innocent road users including Ikenna Ekwueme, a citizen of Oko, one Sunny Dey
Electrical from Aguluzigbo and many others. Along the way of the mayhem that continued
for more than three hours, they entered the business premises of the National
President of the Oko People’s Union (OPU) Mr Cyprian
Ike Nwammuo, smashed the windows and looted his shop.
They eventually arrived the
premises of Pekky Mega Motel, Amokpala, belonging to one Mr. Chukwudi Nwankwor,
a prominent member of Oko Town Union. In a callous and wicked manner, laid used
tyres in all the rooms at the entire hotel worth over 45 million naira and set
it ablaze with all the furniture and electronics, after looting and stealing
from the staff and guests. They also emptied the fish pond!
As we speak to you today,
no single arrests have been made, even when the perpetrators of this crime are
known to all, including the police. It is pertinent to note that the Police had
every opportunity to stop the few insurgents but chose to watch the event! And,
we know why, and would tell you shortly.
PLANNING AND IMPLEMENTATION OF THE MAYHEM
The question on every lips
is: What was the cause of the destruction by the hooligans.
The Community had received reports that the Rector of the Federal
Polytechnic, Oko, Professor Godwin Onu has designed a strategy to capitalize on
the traditional Ifu Olu Masquerade festival in the town to plot another round
of hostility against the community. After due consultation with stakeholders
and opinion leaders of Oko Community, a general assembly of Oko people was
convened where it was unanimously decided for the interest of peace, and to
forestall the type of 2012 event, there shall be no masquerade this year.. The
decision of the Community was communicated to the general public through public
announcements and letters to the law enforcement agencies on April 14, 2014.
In the letter aforesaid, police was specifically requested to
arrest any person or masquerade carrying “whips of any kind or arms
concealed or otherwise including axes, knives, daggers, machetes or anything
that may be used to intimidate or cause bodily harm to other law abiding
citizens or passers-by…”
True to type, these criminal elements did not only defy the
resolution of the entire community, but also came out in their masquerades with
all manners of prohibited arms and violent weapons. On Easter Saturday, the 19th
Day of April 2014, an unconfirmed report said that the masquerades confronted
some unidentified law enforcement agents and thereafter decided to attack the
community for inviting the law enforcement agencies to restrain them. We are happy to announce that no single life
was lost in that encounter notwithstanding what is being reported in the media.
The individuals involved in the attack were same group that attacked the OPU
meeting on December 31, 2013, and were same that were hosted by Professor Onu
in his office for an award of in March 2013. This group, members of whom are
largely employed, were made to sign public notice advertisements running into
millions of naira in cost of space in the national dailies claiming to be the
youth of Oko in support of Professor Onu. Professor Onu is known to have provided
them with buses and funds for their current activities. The same group were recently excommunicated
by the Community.
PROFESSOR GODWIN ONU AS THE MASTERMIND AND
PERPETRATOR OF THE MAYHEM IN OKO
We have every collaborative
and circumstantial evidence to prove that the Rector of the Federal Polytechnic
Oko, Professor Godwin Onu, is the mastermind of the plot to cause mayhem in
Oko, in retaliation for the refusal of the Community to support his second term
bid. In his standoff with the Community, he enjoys the support and protection
of the Nigerian Police, while the Igwe of Oko,
has become the subject of verbal attack by the Police authorities. The
perpetrators of the mayhem in Oko, who are renegade youths, whom Professor Onu
has provided with a new bus recently, have now become members of his entourage,
coordinated by the Public Relations Officer of the Polytechnic, Mr. Obini
Onuchukwu, and also enjoying the protection of the security garrison of the
rector made up of regular siren blaring nine truckloads of police and military
personnel convoy. On Monday, April 21, 2014, two days after the incident, one
Mr. Obinni Onuchukwu and the renegade youths, addressed a press conference at
GeoGold Hotel Awka. On Tuesday, April 22, 2014, the unbridled PRO of the Polytechnic,
led this group to carry placards at the Government House Awka, calling for the
removal of Igwe of Oko. It is
disheartening that these outcasts are still all over the town boasting,
menacing and threatening what they intend to do next and yet no law enforcement
agents have accosted them.
Most unfortunately, some
journalists who have been sent to report events and developments in Anambra
State have left their jobs to join the media crew of Professor Onu, resulting
in deliberate distortion of facts in several of the newspapers in favour of the
Rector of the Polytechnic for obvious reasons.
BUILD UP TO THE ATTACK
There is a build up to the
plot by Professor Onu who is bent on destabilizing the Community for daring to
reject his bid for a second tenure. You
may recall that at the height of the controversy over the renewal of his tenure
to which the entire community is opposed with peaceful demonstrations and
carefully worded petition to the Honourable Minister of Education, Professor
Onu had sometime in March 2014, gathered these same youths, and a few
disgruntled elements from Oko in his office to confer him an award of excellent
performance in the name of the Community with which he hopes to justify his
performance in office. The Community promptly disclaimed the award, and issued
a statement reiterating their opposition and rejection of his second term bid.
Let us digress here to
reiterate that the Community’s opposition was made on
the basis of Professor Godwin Onu's woeful failure to manage himself peacefully
and operate smoothly and harmoniously within his work environment and is
constantly at daggers drawn with virtually everybody in his workplace. He goes
to war with his host community for every flimsy reason. Within the Polytechnic
Community itself, he is at war with all the staff unions. In fact, we can
confirm that NASU, ASUP and SSANIP of the Federal Polytechnic, Oko have all
petitioned federal authorities against the renewal of his tenure citing
numerous instances of leadership failure and abrasive and crises-prone style of
administration of the Rector.
Professor Godwin Onu apparently came to Oko
with enormous hatred and animosity against Oko Community notwithstanding the
support he enjoyed from Oko during his efforts to secure the position of Rector
in the first instance. He seizes every opportunity to victimize, blackmail,
scandalize, punish and sabotage his host community and her interests. A few
instances will suffice. 1) Polytechnic
relocation saga: We have evidence of his promise to his kinsmen in Ezira to
establish a campus of the Polytechnic in his town and his community had written
the Rector to Provide the premises of Victory High School, Ezira for the
purpose. He had also procured the approval of the Polytechnic Management to so
do, in spite of the illegality of such an action. 2) The 2012 Professor Godwin Onu organised Student's Rampage: On
26th March, 2012, a very
violent student’s riot took place in Oko as
Professor Godwin Onu reduced Oko to one large political science laboratory for
the experimentation of his weird but treacherous political theories. That riot
was procured by falsehood and blackmail – that Oko people killed
four students and that one pregnant female student lost her pregnancy via
miscarriage. He mobilized some students under a false organization tagged West
African Students Union, WASU, who subsequently addressed a press conference to
demand that the school be moved to a “friendlier community”. When the report of the committee set up by Professor Onu to look
into the crisis concluded their work, it was found that no student was even
injured. The report was so self-indicting that he refused to release it. The
recommendation that the school pay victims for foisting the mayhem, was met
halfway by Professor Onu.
3. Host Community controversy and Governing Council: Professor Onu has
already contrived another controversy over the host community status of Oko
Community by inviting some two towns- Ufuma, and Atani – to contest the status of host community with Oko Community. He is
fully aware that the Federal
Polytechnics Act did not establish Federal Polytechnic, Oko as a multi campus
Polytechnic. His plan was to deny the Community a place in the governing
council as this may jeopardize his second term ambition. Now, Oko Community is
not represented in a council, simply because Professor Onu’s Okophobia! Inspite of this, It is a fact that these towns have
not seen any reasons to join Prof Onu in his mindless onslaught against his
host Community. 4) Corruption of Our Youths, Impersonation of
Oko Community Leaders and Instigation of Crises within Oko Community
Leadership: The pervasive corrupting
influences and crises generating appetite of Professor Godwin Onu knows no
bounds. He breaches all protocols and conventions guiding relationships between
government institutions and their host communities and this has become a source
of constant friction and persistent potential flashpoint in the town. He doles
out large sums of corrupt money and dubious patronage to some of our youths and
relates with them directly without going through the Town Union. He encourages
them and a few non-conformist elements within Oko Community to impersonate Oko
Community Leadership, forge their signatures and sign all manner of documents
and confer fraudulent awards on Professor Godwin Onu in the name of Oko
Community all in his bid to hoodwink the public and make the government believe
that Oko Community supports Professor Godwin Onu’s second term ambition. He
interferes with the internal affairs of the Community and works to destabilize
the Town Union. On 31st December, 2013, these non-conformists
stormed the Oko Civic Centre, venue of a general meeting of the Town Union
disrupted the meeting and removed the books and files of the Town Union and have
retained them till date. He imports
unscrupulous individuals from his home village Ezira and parades them within
the premises of the Federal Polytechnic, Oko and to the Federal Ministry of
Education officials in Abuja as Leaders of Oko Community. He does not harbour
the slightest respects for Oko and her indigenes including the most outstanding
personalities within Oko Community. 5) Professor Godwin Onu is not qualified to
be a Rector in a Polytechnic: His appointment as Rector Federal
Polytechnic, Oko ab initio is in error and is in breach of the extant rules
guiding the appointment of heads of educational institutions. He is a professor
of political science, which is not part of the curricula of a polytechnic.
Political science is not a course taught in the polytechnic and he has no
business presiding as the Rector of this institution.
DENIGRATION OF OUR TRADITIONAL INSTITUTION AND
ABDICATION OF RESPONSIBILITY BY THE NIGERIAN POLICE
Recently, we watched on
television as the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Mohammed Abubakar, publicly
talked down on the Igwe of Oko, Professor Laz Ekwueme, at the State Security
Meeting in Awka, in the presence of the Governor of Anambra State, His
Excellency, Willie Obiano. This is because our Igwe complained to him about the
refusal of the police to provide him with security in view of obvious threats
and refusal by the police to allow him to have meetings with his community. The
IGP accused him of holding meetings to remove the Rector of the Polytechnic as
if rectors are removed by simply holding a town union meeting. Obviously, the
IGP had taken sides in the matter before the meeting without hearing from the
community.
However, we wish to remind
Mr. Abubakar, that the denigration of the person and office of the Igwe of Oko,
would not go unnoticed and we are sure he would not have had the effrontery to
address a traditional ruler of Professor Laz Ekwueme’s standing in any other part of the country in that manner. We
will not forget to remind Mr. Abubakar that apart from being the spiritual and
royal father of Oko Community, Professor Laz Ekwueme is a Professor Emeritus of
the University of Lagos, a holder of the Nigerian National Order of Merit,
NNOM, Officer of the Niger, OON, among other international academic accomplishments
that are too many to mention!
But it did not start with
the IGP. The Commissioner of Police in Anambra State, Mr. Usman Gwary, had on
19th March, 2014 threatened through the DPO Ajalli to “hunt down” and “fish out” our Igwe if he dares to allow a peaceful Oko
Women prayer procession in Oko on that date. The Police actually carried out
this threat and dispersed the members of the Community who have assembled to
listen to the Igwe at a meeting of the community on the 31st day of March,
2014. As a matter of fact, police officers watched on the 19th April
as the mayhem in Oko progressed, obviously taking a cue from the remarks from
the police hierarchy which suggests that the force was on the side of the
Rector, Professor Onu. No wonder then,
that till today, several days after a criminal case of arson, attempted murder,
et al have been committed against the community, the traditional ruler, other
citizens and visitors alike, by less than 15 renegade youths of the town, and
some mercenaries hired by Professor Onu to cause mayhem in the town, no arrests
have been made.
EMEKA OFFOR DIMENSION AND PRELUDE TO THE CURRENT
MAYHEM
A political god fatherism
twist has been added to the desperate pursuit of the second term ambition of
Professor Onu, as he had before the
expiration of his tenure on March 4, 2014, began to drop the name of Mr. Emeka Offor as his "Abuja
Connection" political god father. Subsequently, the membership of the
Council of the Polytechnic was announced, and alas, it became true that the
list was drawn at the House of Mr. Emeka Offor at his home town, Oraifite, with
his uncle, Mr. Odukwe as the Chairman of the Council. In his recent statement,
Professor Laz Ekwueme had accused the Council and its chairman of being led by
the nose by Professor Onu. This statement had angered Mr. Emeka Offor so much
that on the 13th of April, 2014 (Palm Sunday), called the Igwe of
Oko and abused him for the effrontery to criticize the council that he (Emeka
Offor) constituted for the Polytechnic. He threatened and warned him to desist
from making further comments or taking actions about the leadership of the
polytechnic and boasted to him about how close he is to the Inspector General
of Police and that our Igwe can do nothing about the situation. In fact, he
boasted to have handpicked the current Commissioner of Police in Anambra, Mr.
Usman Gwari to the state. It is no surprise then, that the Inspector General of
Police, and the Commissioner of Police have behaved in very strange ways that
silently instructed their subordinates to see nothing and do nothing while Oko
is being set ablaze by renegades.
It may be pertinent to remind Emeka Offor, whose easy wealth may
have denied him the capacity and capability to appreciate noble men of high
academic standing and excellent moral integrity, to recall that the Federal
Polytechnic, Oko, was established on the facilities entirely developed by Oko
Community through self-help community development efforts sponsored by our very
illustrious son, Dr. Alex Ekwueme, former vice-president of the Federal
Republic of Nigeria and handed over to the Federal Government of Nigeria by Oko
Community, several years before His Excellency assumed public office as Vice
President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Even if Mr. Offor does not understand what respect for elders mean
in Igbo land, he must be told that IDEOKO, Chief Dr. Alex Ekwueme was not up to
Mr. Offor’s current age in 1974 when
he established what he (Emeka Offor) sees as his conquered political property
and empire with which he would dish out patronage to his cronies. We wonder why
he feels comfortable throwing his weight around in Oko over another man’s sweat when he could advisedly establish a bigger institution in
his village of Oraifite for the benefit of the masses and be the Emperor there!
This is the man behind most of the political crises that has bedeviled Anambra
State since 1999. It is under a warped arrangement obtainable only in Nigeria
that a personality like Mr. Emeka Offor, with no known academic background,
would be allowed to foist a council and a rector in an academic institution
built by the former Vice President of Nigeria, Dr. Alex Ekwueme, who is also
the founder of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP,
under which Mr. Offor plays god.
OUR PRAYERS
1. That the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Mohammed Abubakar,
directs the Anambra State Police Command, to face their constitutionally
assigned duty and responsibility and effect immediate arrest and prosecution of
those involved in the arson and destruction of properties in Oko, and attempted
murder of the Igwe Professor Laz
Ekwueme, EzeIjikalla II of Oko.
2. We urge Mr. President, His Excellency, Dr. Goodluck Ebele
Jonathan, to caution the Inspector General of Police and the Police Hierarchy
to avoid taking sides in a crisis no matter who is involved, and the focus on
their constitutionally assigned responsibility.
3. We also invite Mr. President, His Excellency, Dr. Goodluck Ebele,
Jonathan, to direct the Minister of Education, Mr. Nyeson Wike, to put in
motion, the process for the constitution of the Council of the Federal
Polytechnic Oko. There is no known due process in the current council that is
now known to have been personally constituted by Mr. Emeka Offor with his uncle
as chairmen of the council.
4. We Invite the Minister of Education to also put in process, the
appointment of the Rector of Federal Polytechnic Oko. The tenure of Professor
Onu as rector of the school expired on March 4, 2014. The Community has already
articulated its position and that of the Polytechnic Community to the Minister,
indicating that Professor Onu is not qualified and his bid for a second term is
wholly rejected by all stakeholders.
5. We demand that the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Mohammed
Abubakar, offer an unreserved apology to Oko Community for the denigration of
the person, and office of the traditional ruler of Oko Town, Igwe, Professor
Laz Ekwueme, NNOM, OON, EzeIjikala II through his unguarded utterances at the
Anambra State Security Meeting.
6. In order to forestall all these and get at the root of the matter
devoid of media obfuscation, we humbly demand for Judicial Commission of
Inquiry headed by a High Court Judge, serving or retired with men and women of
integrity from the clergy and traditional institution as members to unravel the
whole truth about what is happening in Oko devoid of sponsored media
obfuscation.
Mr. Ike C. Nwammuo
(National President)
FOR AND ON BEHALF OF THE ENTIRE OKO COMMUNITY
