Former President General of Evwreni Clan Improvement Union, Hon Victor Ohare, and a yet to be identified soldier were on Saturday allegedly shot, while three houses were set ablaze in a renewed crisis rocking Evwreni community in Ughelli North local government area of Delta State.
Our correspondent gathered that some members of the community’s disbanded vigilante are behind the fresh attack following the death of their Chairman, Mr Tuesday Okuah in police custody at Abuja.
Three houses and a car belonging to some leaders of the community were reportedly set ablaze, while some shops were also vandalized and destroyed.
There have been reports of heightened tension in the community following the dispute that has trailed the leadership of the community vigilante outfit which had already claimed about 3 lives with many property destroyed.
A community source, who pleaded for anonymity, disclosed that boys loyal to the former vigilante chairman who allegedly committed suicide while in police detention carried out the attacks.
According to him, “As soon as news filtered into the town that Mr Tuesday Okuah committed suicide while in detention that his boys went on rampage, shooting sporadically, in the process one Hon. Victor Ohare was shot and he is in critical condition.
“Not done, they proceeded to set the house of Prince Matthew Uba. The house of the Odion-Esiri of Evwreni and his car was also set ablaze, while the car of Willfred Otuedor and the shop of Nathan Oruemu were destroyed.
“They equally attempted to burn down the house of a former director of projects of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, Chief Samuel Adjogbe, but was repelled by the mobile policemen stationed at the compound who exchanged gunshots with arsonists.
“Late into the evening, we also heard that one of the soldiers that were drafted the restore peace to the community was shot, when they were ambush on their way into the community by the rampages disbanded vigilante boys, and that he is rushed to an undisclosed hospital.
“As we speak, people are fleeing the community and the boys are going about shooting sporadically unchallenged, and with the looks of things, if nothing is done urgently, more lives will be lost.
Recall that Mr. Tuesday Okuah, the ex-vigilante Chairman, the traditional monarch of the community, HRM Oghenekwevwe Kumane and six others namely; Hon Sam Mariere, K. K. Kumane, James Asakpa, Ochuko Kumane, Kelly Omojugheri and Stephen Atiri, were all invited to Asaba by the IGP team for investigation relating to the murder of one Mr Sylvester Adjogbe, a relative of Mr Sam Adjogbe, the fmr EDP of NDDC.
It was alleged that members of the vigilante group are loyalists to the King and Hon Sam Mariere that murdered Sylvester Adjogbe.
However, the King and Hon Mariere were released on bail, while late Tuesday Okuah and three others were taken to Abuja.
It was while in custody that Mr Okwa allegedly committed suicide after refusing to cooperate with police investigation.
Also, a source in the community who prefers to be anonymous said, “The trio of the King, Hon Mariere and KK Kumani who controls the vigilante group appears to be encouraging the violence and destruction as they have not uttered a word to stop their boys as the rampage in the community continues.”
When contacted, the Delta State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Hafiz Inuwa feigned ignorance of the incident stating that the state command is not aware of the incident.
He said: “I’m in Delta; I do not know what is happening in Abuja. I am just hearing it from you now because we were not informed. If we are not the ones investigating the matter, I won’t know. As far as our command is concerned, we are not aware of it.”
While several calls and messages to the officer in charge of the IGP monitoring team, ACP Adamu Abdullahi Elleman were not responded to, the Force Police Public Relations Officer, FPRO, Frank Mba, promised to get details on the incident when contacted, but was yet to do so as at the time of this report.
