The High Chief of Ogbe Odogwu community in Ogwashi-Uku, Chief Gabriel Ohai has reacted to the protest by some women on the 28th of September, 2023 from the Ogbe Odogwu Community, and a letter written to the governor by a group called Ogbe Odogwu Progressives regarding the circumstances surrounding the death of one Mr Stephen Ubaka an okada rider in his community.
The group had also alleged that people were being indiscriminately arrested and taken to court without being charged with any crimes.
The Chief of the community, Chief Gabriel Ohai in an interview granted to newsmen while debunking the allegations as malicious, fictitious, and a calculated attempt to mislead unsuspecting members of the public, added that the intentions of the faceless group were simply to try to use the death of Stephen Ubaka to bargain for the release of the suspects currently in custody for the June 2021 murder, rape and arson charges filed by the Director of Public Prosecutions for Delta State.
Meanwhile, in a letter written to the governor of Delta State, Rt Hon Sheriff Oborevwori, which was sighted by our correspondent titled “RESPONSE TO THE LETTER/PETITION WRITTEN BY THE OGBE ODOGWU PROGRESSIVES, the Odogwu stated in part of the letter as follows:
“Regarding the issue of Stephen Ubaka’s death, both the deceased and his father were on police wanted list of those who took part in a murder, arson, and rape on June 29, 2021. That investigation was concluded by the Nigerian Police FCID Abuja with charges filed by the Director of Public Prosecutions of Delta State. Attached to this letter is the Legal Advice by the office of the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice of Delta State. Also attached are the charges filed at the High court for those involved in the murder, rape and arson. Contrary to the statements made by the faceless petitioners, all those arrested or being arrested by the police were arrested based on the outcome of the police investigation and all of the suspects have been charged to court. It is untrue that people have been arrested by the police without charges. It is also untrue that Stephen Ubaka was beaten or tortured at any palace by vigilante people. It is a cooked-up story to try to leverage and bargain a release of the deceased father (currently in prison custody) and those involved who are also currently in prison custody facing serious charges.
“The true fact is that Stephen Ubaka was a tuberculosis patient who had complications arising from retroviral infection secondary to Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) over the years to the knowledge of all before he went for treatment at the General Hospital Ogwashi-Uku. Please find also the picture of the deceased with his x-ray results. His records are at the Ogwashi-Uku General Hospital, where Ubaka was admitted before his death. He doesn’t show any sign of any beating or physical injury in his picture. His cause of death can be ascertained from the doctors in the hospital. Most of the fabricated stories have been debunked by police investigators that the family reported the matter to”.
Chief Gabriel Ohai ended the letter by urging the governor to discountenance any letter from the above faceless group.
According to him, the family have engaged a lawyer who has petitioned the police about Stephen Ubaka.
Chief Ohai insisted that the Police should be permitted to conclude their investigations and come out with their findings.
He also urged the governor not to permit any interference with any ongoing judicial proceedings or police investigations as the allegations are very weighty and require proper and exhaustive investigations and conclusions.
According to him, “the victims of the crimes including myself will not be a party or participate in any resolution of the matter outside the police or the courts”.
