By Emma Amaize, Peter Duru and Harris – Okon Emmanuel
TENSION enveloped some parts of the country after killings linked to the postponed presidential and National Assembly elections of last weekend.
The elections were held across the country yesterday.
No fewer than 17 were killed after attacks in seven states.
Penultimate Friday, the Chairman of All Progressives Congress, APC, in Ohimini local government area of Benue State, Mr. Boniface Okloho, was shot dead at Ehatokpe by unknown assailants.
Same day, suspected hoodlums attacked and killed Mr. Lawrence Ngozi Akpomiemie, Special Assistant to Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, at Ekpan in Uvwie local government area of Delta State.
In Akwa Ibom State, violence erupted on the eve of the rescheduled polls, leading to the killing of one person and the burning of 11 vehicles belonging to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Obot Akara local government area of the state.
In Rivers State, residents were horrified by the turn of events after the police confirmed the killing of an officer in the wave of attacks at different parts of the state just before the sudden postponement of the general elections by INEC.
Apart from the policeman, six persons were reportedly shot dead at Erema area of Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni local government area of the state while two others were killed in separate attacks at Ozuaha in Ikwerre LGA.
The Ozuaha victims were identified as APC members.
In Cross River State, Mr Ayuk Ogar, the Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Bendeghe Ekiem Ward of Etung local government area and four others were confirmed dead following a clash with APC supporters in the area.
Only last Thursday, Kano State Police Command confirmed the death of two persons during a bloody clash between supporters of PDP and APC at Kofa in Bebeji Local Government Area of Kano State.“The command’s Public Relations Officer, DSP Abdullahi Haruna, confirmed the number of deaths in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday in Kano and also said that many people sustained various degrees of injuries during the fracas. He said no fewer than 20 vehicles were burnt while 18 others were also vandalised during the incident which occurred around 2:00 p:m on Thursday.
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According to him, a medical clinic was also burnt in the village as a result of the clash. The police spokesman said the command had also arrested 20 people, including a member of the House of Representatives, in connection with the incident and warned people of the state to desist from acts capable of causing disaffection among residents.
Reports say supporters of the two political parties clashed when Sen. Rabi’u Kwankwaso and the PDP governorship candidate, Abba Kabir-Yusuf, as well as their supporters were traveling to Bebeji town for a rally.
Sealed lips
The cold blooded murder of the APC Chairman, Okloho, generated angry reactions across party lines in Benue.
Okloho was reportedly killed by armed men who shot him and fled while he was on his way back from a political meeting held at Idekpa.
Whereas the murder was generally condemned, many people appealed to security agencies to unravel those behind the killing.
The incident spewed a lot of bad blood among political actors in Ohimini given the suspicion and hot exchanges it generated.
The remains of the deceased were buried last Tuesday.
Though family members of Okloho have kept sealed lips over the killing, a police source told Sunday Vanguard that the late party Chairman might have been caught in a web of an intra-party dispute in the area.
According to the source, the APC in Ohimini had, over time, operated in factions and efforts by the late party leader to unite the warring groups were rebuffed by some powerful members who saw him as a potential threat to their continued dominance of the politics of the area.
“It is likely that he was caught in the crossfire of the warring APC forces in Ohimini politics and he ended up paying the supreme price,” the source said.
Another source close to the family of the deceased hinted that Okloho might have been killed over disagreement in the sharing formula he adopted during the sharing of the funds meant for APC campaigns in the area.
“He was killed on the eve of the aborted presidential and National Assembly elections and, before then, we heard that members of the party in Ohimini were at daggers drawn over campaign funds released to the party in the area”, the source said.
“Some alleged that the funds were not proportionally shared among factionalized members of the party who also failed to put their differences aside to ensure victory for the party in the elections”.
“We gathered that the factions also accused the late Chairman of capitalizing on the crisis in the party to impose his will while sharing funds accruable to members ahead of the elections.
“Some even went as far as accusing him of favouring some of the contending factions in sharing the largesse and they didn’t take the matter lying low.”
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Reacting to the murder, the APC governorship candidate in Benue, Mr. Emmanuel Jime, strongly condemned it, describing it as wicked and evil.
While commiserating with the family of the deceased and the party, Jime, who sued for peace and brotherliness in the politics of the state, urged government and security agencies to fish out the killers and bring them to justice.
On his part, Governor Samuel Ortom, who also condemned the killing of the APC chieftain, commiserated with the party over the heinous crime.
Ortom, in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Terver Akase, urged security agencies to ensure that those responsible were apprehended for prosecution.
The state Police Commissioner, Mr. Omololu Bishi, assured that the command was working round the clock to apprehend the masterminds of the cold blooded murder.
Bishi said the police were not ruling out anything in their investigations, assuring that the command was already making headway in the investigations.
Outing
In the Delta, many believed that the aide to Governor Okowa was killed to stop his pervading influence among youths in Ekpan area ahead of the postponed elections, while some said they attacked him to take the money he had collected for the polls.
Another account said he was returning from a weekend outing with his girlfriend when gangsters trailing him ambushed and snuffed life out of him.
Security agents took over the restive community shortly after the murder, but, despite their presence, confusion reigned as suspected loyalists of the late Akpomiemie set ablaze a house allegedly belonging to a prominent chief whose son is said to be a rival of the deceased.
“You cannot predict Uvwie matter; crisis can erupt anytime over the assassination of Ngozi. He had his loyalists, he was a strong man in the area, so anything can happen”, a resident, who simply gave his name as Andy, told Sunday Vanguard.
Security was beefed up in the area to forestall outbreak of law and order and the people were scared stiff.
About 48 hours after the murder, Okowa, on a condolence visit to the family of the slain aide, stated, “The death of Ngozi Ijei was very unfortunate as he was slain and it was obvious that it was politically motivated.”
Shooting
Elsewhere in the state, specifically in Umunede area of Ika North East local government area, the premises of the APC House of Representatives candidate for the area, Hon. Sebastian Okoh, were sprayed with bullets.
Okoh, narrating how he escaped death, said, “I was sitting outside my house with a few of my supporters because, as a candidate, one needs to put a lot of things in place to ensure a smooth and fair election. It was a late night meeting; about 80 per cent of my supporters had gone home then.
“Suddenly, I heard sounds of gunshots. The shootings were directed at my house and my two cars parked outside my gates were shot at. The attackers did not come into my house because that was not their purpose. They must have considered me a threat to their victory. But in spite of what they have done, I will not pull back”.
The House of Assembly candidate of the PDP for Ika North East, Hon Anthony Elekeokuri, also alleged that suspected thugs stormed his ongoing project site, destroyed the building, his father’s house and six PDP branded campaign vehicles in his premises. Elekeokuri, who currently represents Ika North East constituency in the state House of Assembly, said, “Between 9.00 am and 10.00 am on Saturday (February 16), some gunmen came to my ongoing project site, shooting sporadically. They destroyed a lot of things, attacked my workers and stole their money. “Thereafter, they went to my father’s compound where they destroyed six of my campaign branded vehicles amongst other items.
“They also went to Chief Andrew Emeri’s, Hon Sunday Iheme’s, Chibuzor Obidike’s and Kenneth Onwuegbuosa’s houses, all PDP supporters, and carried out one form of destruction or the other. They went into the town pulling down PDP bill boards. I have reported the incident to the police and hope that they will do their job”.
Some of the victims, who spoke, alleged that the attackers were aided by policemen operating in two vans, alleging that the attackers were over 50 in number.The Publicity Secretary of the APC in Delta State, Mr. Sylvester Imonina, condemned what he perceived as assassination attempt on Okoh. On his part, the traditional ruler of Umunede Kingdom, Obi Ezeagwuna Agadagidi I, warned that the attacks witnessed in the community should never happen again.
Addressing some residents at his palace, the monarch said Umunede is a peaceful community and should not be turned into a war zone.
Meanwhile, Delta State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Yinka Adeleke, has vowed that the police would uncover the killers of the governor’s aide.
Acting spokesman of the state Police Command, Chuks Orisewezie, in a statement, said, “The CP, Yinka Adeleke, condoles with the governor and the immediate family of the deceased over the death of the Special Adviser (Assistant) and prays God to grant them the fortitude to bear the loss. He has vowed that no stone will be left unturned to ensure that justice is done.”
Akwa Ibom on edge
The Akwa Ibom violence that claimed one life and saw 11 vehicles belonging to INEC being burnt in Obot Akara local government area of the state led to the PDP and APC trading words.
The APC accused PDP in the state of fomenting trouble in a desperate bid to win the general elections following its loss of the presidential election in 2015.
Coordinator of the APC Campaign in Eket Senatorial District, Prince Effiong Abia, a lawyer, said, ‘’In the first place, it is unfortunate that this wave of violence has erupted. It is regrettable that what is supposed to be a game, a friendly game for that matter between brothers and sisters, has degenerated to the level of violence, acrimony, hatred and bloodletting.
‘’Nigerians know that it is the fruit of the desperation of the opposition PDP which has not yet recovered from the shock and trauma of losing elections to APC in 2015. They have lived in pitiable denial of the fact that they lost power in 2015. To them, 2015 remains a bad dream that they are trying to wake up from”.
Abia denied that thugs loyal to APC carried out the dastardly act, saying, “It is not possible, it is not thinkable to attribute the electoral violence to APC”.
Another chieftain of the party, Professor Chris Ekong of Economics Department of the University of Uyo, said, “I was shocked at the number of gun-wielding thugs driving around in tinted cars, buses, and trucks. Others were proudly keeping vigil at the Millennium Park.
‘’Postponing the elections brought great relief to Akwa Ibom. The casualties recorded in Obot Akara would have been a child’s play compared to the mayhem these thugs promised to unleash on APC and its supporters statewide”.
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Publicity Secretary of the PDP in Akwa Ibom State, Comrade Ini Ememobong, while reacting, accused the APC of carrying out the violence to truncate the process in the area being the stronghold of the PDP.
He said: “The violence in Obot Akara was caused by APC thugs who went out to vandalize the buses hired by INEC to carry electoral materials. The materials were not even in the vehicles. It was a premeditated plan to prevent election there. It was part of the ‘Warsaw saw war’ threat of Senator Godswill Akpabio to deplete the votes in the area because he knows he would not have votes there. You know Obot Akara is a vote basket”.
The police have meantime arrested 93 suspected thugs in connection with the Akwa Ibom violence.
According to the state Police Commissioner, Bashir Makama, the suspects were arrested in hideouts in the state based on intelligence reports.
Speaking through the Public Relations Officer of the state Police Command, Odiko Ogbechie, the police chief said the suspects were recruited from Bayelsa, Delta, Edo and Rivers states by their sponsors to perpetrate electoral violence and fraud.
One of the suspected thugs, Uduak, told journalists that he recruited some of the other suspects for a candidate of one of the parties in the election in the state, saying: “The people came to Borikiri town to find people to vote for them. There are four of us who organized the boys for them and they brought vehicles that we used to operate”.
Another suspect from Rivers State, Goodnew, lamented: ‘’They gave us N5, 000 each for the job. They used our heads and we did not know it would turn out like this’’.
Makama said investigation was ongoing with a view to unmasking their sponsors, warning that the police would deal decisively with the perpetrators of electoral crimes in the state.
Policeman, six others dead
In Rivers State, residents were horrified by the turn of events as the police confirmed the killing of an officer in the wave of attacks in different parts of the state just before the sudden postponement of the general elections by INEC.
The police officer, whose body was deposited at the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital mortuary, was reportedly gunned down during a stop and search operation in Rukpokwu area of Obia Akpor local government area of the state
The Public Relations Officer of the state Police Command, Nnamdi Omoni, confirmed that the killing of the officer occurred at a checkpoint in Rukpokwu.
Omoni said the attackers, who operated in a white van, carted away the victim’s rifle, adding that the command had launched a manhunt for the bandits.
Six other persons were reportedly shot dead at Erema area of Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni LGA and two others in separate attacks at Ozuaha area of Ikwerre LGA.
A source in Erema told Sunday Vanguard that some men dressed in a local vigilante uniform stormed the village and killed a man, his wife and son while another son suspected to be a cultist escaped the tragedy.
The source, who preferred anonymity, said three other people were killed in two different locations in the area, in suspected cult supremacy tussle.
On the Ozuaha incident, a source, who related the development, alleged that the two victims were supporters of the APC.
Trouble at peace meeting
In Cross River State, Mr Ayuk Ogar, the Chairman of the PDP in Bendeghe Ekiem Ward in Etung local government area and four others were confirmed dead, following a clash with APC supporters in the area.
The clash occurred last Saturday morning when elders, chiefs and opinion leaders in the community convened a meeting for supporters of the two parties to sign a peace accord to end conflict between the two parties in the community.
Dr Oscar Ofuka, Special Adviser to Governor Ben Ayade on Cocoa, who is from the community, said he narrowly escaped death when the peace parley turned bloody.
“We were asked by the elders and chiefs of our community to meet and sign a peace accord to forestall outbreak of conflict between APC and PDP members, which has become rampant in the community in the run up to the elections”, he narrated.
“We had gathered at the chief’s palace when some people invaded the place with knives and guns and began to attack us and I only escaped by a hair’s breadth”.
Ofuka said that in recent past, there had been over five incidents of conflict between APC and PDP members in the area in which several lives were lost.
“We have appealed to the Police Commissioner to intervene and beef up security in the community, but that is hardly the case and these attacks have become too frequent,” he said.
The governor’s aide disclosed that the bodies of the deceased persons had been deposited at the General Hospital, Ikom mortuary, while those with severe wounds were moved to the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital, UCTH, for medical attention.
Reacting, Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, Cross River State Police Command, Irene Ugbo, stated that more policemen had been deployed in the area to restore normalcy.
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