Comrade Teguolor Otito has insisted he remains the legitimate and lawful chairman of the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria operating the popular Mofor motor park in Udu Local Government Area of Delta State.
Speaking with journalists, Otito alleged that the member representing Udu Constituency in the Delta State House of Assembly, Hon Peter Uviejitobor, is the one sponsoring the Comrade Efe Eberucharo-led group causing mayhem in the park since December 2021.
He also alleged that Comrade Eberucharo, the President-General of Igbogidi Community, Mr Ufuoma Edema and his Orhuwhorun Community counterpart, Chief Joseph Tefue, led the hoodlums that invaded the park on Friday, September 2, 2022, adding that when the police came to arrest Comrade Eberucharo their boys later came and shot three workers of the park.
According to him, three victims who are working under his leadership are lying in critical condition at an undisclosed clinic.
“I want the government and security personnel to take note of Honourable Peter Uviejitobor because he is their sponsor and the security should come to our aide to secure us so that these cultists masquerading as community executive and Igbogidi president not to come and kill us again or shot us.
“When they heard that they have arrested their cult member they now came, three persons were shot. The Igbogidi president and Paris were the ones who shot. The Igbogidi, Paris and others, they held gun and shot those our workers,” said Otito.
Giving insight into the crisis, Comrade Otito said sometime in 2021 Comrade Efe Eberucharo was appointed the acting chairman of Mofor motor park but on December 14 same year his boys had a bloody clash with members of a cult group in Orhuwhorun over a dispute with his secretary’s son.
He explained that following a reprisal attack on Comrade Eberucharo’s boys at the motor park a week later the state executive of Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria with Comrade Elvis Kporoh as state chairman, the Comrade Eberucharo-led leadership was suspended indefinitely.
Otito added that when Eberucharo through their lawyer took the state executive of the Association to court they were then expelled by the national leadership at Abuja since it was against their constitution.
Consequently, according to Comrade Otito, himself and twelve others were appointed by the state executive to take over the running of the motor park to restore sanity.
He said, “I am the chairman of Mofor park. I am an indigene of the Igbogidi community from the Afejukwu family.
“When they attacked me on 24th May 2022, when they ran, they said that it is one Honourable Peter Uviejitobor that is their sponsor. They say nothing will happen, he is a member representing Udu in the Delta State House of Assembly.
“They said nothing will happen because he is their boss. And they were hitting their hands on the chest that nothing will happen, Jitebor will come and release them. Unfortunately, when I went to the station yesterday in the evening I saw Jitebor. They are hoodlums masquerading as community leaders.”
Comrade Otito absolved Comrade Elvis Kporoh of any wrongdoing saying, “It is drivers that are being elected or appointed to run the motor park, not every “Tom, Dick, and Harry” will just come as a community person under the guise of community to come and run the motor park”.
Explaining further, he said, “If you go round the whole of Udu, different place, Ovwian, Aladja, the rural and the urban, you will not see any community that owns the park. It is run by drivers.
“So, I am surprised that they are calling the name of one Elvis Kporoh. He is the state chairman, I am the one running the affairs of Mofor park.
“Those people they are mischief makers, they trouble makers, they are hoodlums, they are cultists.”