Community raises alarm over takeover of Ughelli/Patani road by armed bandits
Posted on 19th Mar 2013
The people of Agadama Community, Uwheru kingdom in Ughelli North Local Government Area of Delta State, have raised alarm over the takeover of their community by dreaded armed bandits, just as they called on the Inspector General of Police (IGP) and the Delta State Government to come to their rescue.
Author: By Omafume Amurun
The people of Agadama Community, Uwheru kingdom in Ughelli North Local Government Area of Delta State, have raised alarm over the takeover of their community by dreaded armed bandits, just as they called on the Inspector General of Police (IGP) and the Delta State Government to come to their rescue.
They said that the call for help from the Delta State Government and the IGP became inevitable after several efforts were made to get police authorities in the state, failed to yield positive results, saying that they now sleep with one eye closed.
Speaking to newsmen at the weekend in Agadama Community, the High Priest and Chairman Uwheru Clan Vigilante group, Chief Famous Eritomi, said that the vigilante group has been encountering series of road blocks mounted by armed robbers along the Ughelli/Patani highway since December last year, adding that the Vigilante group has had a face to face gun battle with armed robbers in ten different occasions in December.
He said; “I called the DPO of A’Division and told him that we have arrested an informant of the armed robbers that are disturbing the road. The boy has confessed that he is the one that always take their guns to the road for them. He said he uses an insecticide pumping can to carry their guns for them. He also confessed that they have two AK 47 riffles they recovered from Fulani men some years ago.
We brought the boy to the A’ Division Police Station and the DPO gave us two policemen to go and raid the place. We raided Daniel’s house without any casualties, because they escaped before we got there. We then arrested two girls that we met in the house.”
Chief Eritomi also alleged that since the arrest of one of the suspected armed robbers, one Community Leader in Agadama Community (name withheld), who act as the godfather to the armed robbers, went and gathered all the armed robbers in and around the community and they have been terrorizing them, killing, maiming, raping their women, burning and destroying houses and properties including schools in the community.
He said people in that community now live in perpetual fear as the armed robbers have succeeded in holding the whole community hostage, adding that even the police could not enter into the community without being challenged by the armed robbers.
He said the armed robbers also attacked one of the teachers teaching at Izeze Primary school Agadama, adding that they have succeeded in chasing away all the teachers and pupils in both the secondary and primary school in the community, just as he said that the Local Education Authority Secretary who went there to see things for himself with his team, were chased away by the armed bandits.
Speaking to our correspondent on phone, the Local Education Authority Secretary, Ughelli North Local Government Area, Evangelist Peter Emazobu confirmed that he and his men were attacked while trying to inspect the level of damage done by the armed robbers in the school.
Evangelist Emazobu said; “I and my men were attacked by these armed robbers, as I was supervising the level of damage in the school. The group swam on us brandishing all sorts of weapons and began to chase us. My men and I managed to escape death by the whiskers, as we took to our heels. The matter has been reported to the DPO, A’ Division Police Station, Ughelli.”
Evangelist Emazobu lamented that even as the matter has been reported to the police, nothing seems to have been done concerning the issue. He therefore, called on the State Government to as a matter of urgency fish out those responsible for the destruction and closing down of the school in order to avoid future occurrence.
A primary school teacher in Agadama Community, Evangelist Edward Agare who was also attacked by the armed robbers, said; “I am a teacher in Agadama Primary School. Actually, I did not know what was happening but was surprised to see about 22 boys fully armed, came to the school and started destroying things. They came after me and I managed to run into the bush and escaped for my dear life. They do a lot of things in the community. They harass people, rape women, kidnap people and do whatever they like, and there is nobody to challenge them.
“They also came for my son. They caught him and asked him to kneel down and they were cutting him with their cutlasses and battle axes. If not for God’s intervention, my son would have been killed. But he also managed to escape from them.”
Efforts to get the DPO A’ Divsion Police Station, Ughelli, Mr. Garaje Gando, proved abortive as at the time of filing this report, as he never returned the call our correspondent put across to him on his cell phone as he promised.
They said that the call for help from the Delta State Government and the IGP became inevitable after several efforts were made to get police authorities in the state, failed to yield positive results, saying that they now sleep with one eye closed.
Speaking to newsmen at the weekend in Agadama Community, the High Priest and Chairman Uwheru Clan Vigilante group, Chief Famous Eritomi, said that the vigilante group has been encountering series of road blocks mounted by armed robbers along the Ughelli/Patani highway since December last year, adding that the Vigilante group has had a face to face gun battle with armed robbers in ten different occasions in December.
He said; “I called the DPO of A’Division and told him that we have arrested an informant of the armed robbers that are disturbing the road. The boy has confessed that he is the one that always take their guns to the road for them. He said he uses an insecticide pumping can to carry their guns for them. He also confessed that they have two AK 47 riffles they recovered from Fulani men some years ago.
We brought the boy to the A’ Division Police Station and the DPO gave us two policemen to go and raid the place. We raided Daniel’s house without any casualties, because they escaped before we got there. We then arrested two girls that we met in the house.”
Chief Eritomi also alleged that since the arrest of one of the suspected armed robbers, one Community Leader in Agadama Community (name withheld), who act as the godfather to the armed robbers, went and gathered all the armed robbers in and around the community and they have been terrorizing them, killing, maiming, raping their women, burning and destroying houses and properties including schools in the community.
He said people in that community now live in perpetual fear as the armed robbers have succeeded in holding the whole community hostage, adding that even the police could not enter into the community without being challenged by the armed robbers.
He said the armed robbers also attacked one of the teachers teaching at Izeze Primary school Agadama, adding that they have succeeded in chasing away all the teachers and pupils in both the secondary and primary school in the community, just as he said that the Local Education Authority Secretary who went there to see things for himself with his team, were chased away by the armed bandits.
Speaking to our correspondent on phone, the Local Education Authority Secretary, Ughelli North Local Government Area, Evangelist Peter Emazobu confirmed that he and his men were attacked while trying to inspect the level of damage done by the armed robbers in the school.
Evangelist Emazobu said; “I and my men were attacked by these armed robbers, as I was supervising the level of damage in the school. The group swam on us brandishing all sorts of weapons and began to chase us. My men and I managed to escape death by the whiskers, as we took to our heels. The matter has been reported to the DPO, A’ Division Police Station, Ughelli.”
Evangelist Emazobu lamented that even as the matter has been reported to the police, nothing seems to have been done concerning the issue. He therefore, called on the State Government to as a matter of urgency fish out those responsible for the destruction and closing down of the school in order to avoid future occurrence.
A primary school teacher in Agadama Community, Evangelist Edward Agare who was also attacked by the armed robbers, said; “I am a teacher in Agadama Primary School. Actually, I did not know what was happening but was surprised to see about 22 boys fully armed, came to the school and started destroying things. They came after me and I managed to run into the bush and escaped for my dear life. They do a lot of things in the community. They harass people, rape women, kidnap people and do whatever they like, and there is nobody to challenge them.
“They also came for my son. They caught him and asked him to kneel down and they were cutting him with their cutlasses and battle axes. If not for God’s intervention, my son would have been killed. But he also managed to escape from them.”
Efforts to get the DPO A’ Divsion Police Station, Ughelli, Mr. Garaje Gando, proved abortive as at the time of filing this report, as he never returned the call our correspondent put across to him on his cell phone as he promised.
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