Over 100 women in Delta State have protested against the alleged gruesome murder of an okada rider, Afamefuna Ubaka, and the illegal detention of 14 elderly persons.
The women accused the Obi of Ogwashi-Uku, Obi Ifechukwude Okonji, and his guards of complicity in the alleged murder of Ubaka.
The women, from Ogbe-Odogwu, Azuugwu, Ogwashi Uku community in Aniocha South local Government Area of Delta State, staged the protest at the Government House, Asaba, on Thursday.
Dressed in black clothes, the women carried placard with inscriptions such as ‘Delta government call Obi of Ogwashi-Uku to order’, ‘Over 14 elders of more than 70 years on remand over false allegations’, ‘Release our fathers and youths’, ‘Police do your job, investigate the murder of Afamefuna Ubaka’, ‘Governor Sheriff Oborevwori, please help us we are tired of living in fear in our fatherland’.
Chike Malije, the leader of the protesters, said they were at the governor’s office to ask for justice.
He stated that the men of the community “no longer stay at home, they come home late”.
“You can see that men are not part of this protest because they would be arrested. I am here because I am directly affected by the murder of the young man,” he added.
Malije added that about eight people from the community are in detention for the past six to eight months without being charged to court.
“This problem started in 2020 when the Obi wrote our family for us to nominate somebody for the Odogwu position. That is the due process and we on our part, we now consult the oracle, so by the time we concluded the process, the man that the oracle chose was taken to the palace but the Obi turned him down, saying that he has made his own choice. This started the spate of arrest of our people,” he explained.
One of the aggrieved women, Mrs favour Ikeweji, said many of them had fled the community following daily harassment and intimidation by the Obi and his foot soldiers.
She said, “As I speak to you now my husband has been arrested and remanded by the powers that be in the community.
“They came with machete and axe to invade my house. They shoved me aside in the house looking for my husband. My baby was crying. They came by 1:00 am, I no longer have a peace of mind in my own house, l no longer sleep at home, I go outside to sleep.
“They want to kill everybody because of land. Enough is enough.
“My husband is down with stroke but they invaded the house. They broke window, that very day, we just came back from the hospital. They broke through the window and carried my husband. They seized our phones and used machete on my hand.
“Since January till date, my husband is in remand, my children are no longer going to school because it is my husband who has access to the account.”
However, Prince Ifeakanachukwu Emordi, the Palace Secretary, said the Obi in Council of Ogwashi-Uku Kingdom is aware of the false, fictitious and incorrect stories surrounding Mr Stephen Ubaka, who is deceased.
“The Obi In Council doesn’t comment on matters being investigated and will leave it to the appropriate authorities to conclude their findings. Matters such as this cannot be resolved on social media,” he said.
Responding on behalf of government, Edwin Uzor, Special Adviser on Peace Building and Conflict Resolution, noted that Governor Sheriff Oborevwori was already aware of the women’s complaints.
“The governor is decisively going to look into it to ensure that the right thing is done. I can assure you that in a few weeks time, the matter will be over,” Uzor assured.
