Following the alleged invasion and attack on the elders and people of Obagie N’ Akenkporo village in Ikpoba Okha Local Government Area of Edo State by the youth chairman, Mr Friday Ohiozee the elders and indigenes of the community, yesterday, called on the State Government, Benin monarch and other relevant authorities to come to their rescue before the entire community becomes a no go area.
According to information emanating from the community, elders and the people of Obagie have been chased out of their houses, property worth millions of naira including cars have been destroyed while many women were assaulted during the attack by the heavily armed thugs and militant sponsored by the youth chairman Friday Ehiozee.
Sources also disclosed that crisis started when His Royal Majesty Oba Ewuare ll, made a pronouncement on the disbandment of Community Development Association (CDA) in every community in Edo South of the state which didn’t go down well with Mr Friday Okhioze who said the directive can only work in the palace of the Oba not in his community Obagie ‘N’ Akenkporo and vowed to continue with his role as CDA chairman community.
It was gather that when the elders and the people of the community saw the deviant of Mr Ehiozee to the directive of the palace of the Oba of Benin, decided to shift away from him in order to avoid the curse of the Oba.
They alleged that he however went about intimidating and harassing them with gunmen and other dangerous weapons.
One of the youths in the community, Mr. Uyi Osaghae, narrated that trouble started when the Oba of Benin made a pronouncement, disbanding community development association (CDA) in all communities, but to their greatest surprise the chairman refused to comply with the directive adding that the Oba can be a king in his palace and him too is also a king in his community.
We all decided to leave him because we don’t want to bear the wrath of the Oba.
According to him, right from that moment till date, he has been selling lands in the name of the disbanded CDA, and as I speak with you because we refuse to join him he has been harassing us all, destroying our houses, cars and arresting elders of the community with police even when a letter was earlier issued to the community from the palace of Oba of Benin through the Secretary, Benin Traditional Council, Frank Erabor asking the community to remain calm. He is not from the community, he is from the neighboring community Utesi he said.
“He vowed that no one has the power or right to challenge or arrest him and all our effort to reach His Royal Majesty has been blocked by some palace chiefs, Chief Obodo Ekpeti, Chief Uwadia and Chief Ebonoto who also insisted that over their dead body, the people of Obagie community cannot see the Oba and nothing will happen the CDA chairman is their friend”.
Reacting to the alleged allegations, Mr Friday Ehiozee, said he is not aware of anything like that debunked every rumour licking him with armed men or thugs attacked in the community.
In his words, “I didn’t arrest anyone, I never brought any thugs to the community to my knowledge, it is Destiny and Odiowere children that are harassing people with thugs and armed men”.
Chief Uwadia who responded on behalf of other alleged chiefs, said they were in the community as messengers with directive from the palace to make peace only for them to be chased away by some persons from the community and they know nothing about the allegations levied against them.
However, the secretary to the Benin Traditional Council, BTC Mr Frank Erabor, said the letter issued to the community from palace signed by his humble self was directed to the acting Odiowere Pa Omoregie Okhiaro to allow peace to reign in the community that anything contrary to the letter should be reported to palace by the people of Obagie N’Akenkporo.