The Civil Liberties Organization, CLO, has sent an SOS alerting the security leadership in Rivers State of an alleged plan by a community, Okposi 1 to invade a neighbor, Okposi 2 in ONELGA.
In the petition dated September30, addressed to the Police Commissioner, Rivers State Command and copied to the Director State Security Department, DSS, GOC, 6TH Division Bori Camp Port-Harcourt, the Area Command, Omoku Police, Chairman, Ogba Egbema Ndoni LGA, the Oba of Ogba Land, Eze Igburu-Onelga, Ocha 1 of Okposi Community Onelga and OSPAC Local security and signed by Styvn Obodoekwe and Karl Chinedu on behalf of CLO, the security agencies were urged to move fast to avert mayhem as Okposi 1 has written to ask Okposi 2 to vacate the community on or before October 7, 2020.
The CLO Petition Reads Below,
Sir,
Save Okposi 2 Community
From Invasion And Mayhem
We write to draw your attention to a plot/threats by Umuolota family of Okposi 1 to invade, with intent to cause mayhem, a community known as Okposi 2 community in Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni LGA of rivers state. THEY HAVE NOT ONLY THREATENED TO INVADE THE COMMUNITY WITH DANGEROUS WEAPONS, but have vowed to demolish the community and to kill anybody found in the community on the day of their proposed invasion.
In a letter sent to members of Okposi 2 community and signed by God bless Akor, a legal practitioner acting on behalf of the Uumuolota family, members of Okposi 2 Community were told to vacate their community on or before October 7, failing which may cost them their lives and property as contained in their purported invitation notice and notice of vacation.
Okposi 2 community is a community of over 2,000 people, with over 200 buildings, including schools, churches, hotels, etc. many of the families that make up the Okposi 2 community have lived in the community for over 80 years and have no other community to run to.
We understand that the community has been in contention with the said Umuolota family since 2004 where more than half of the community had live over 80years, before the instituted matter was taken to court.
We also understand that the court judgment entered on July, 30, 2020 was entered in the favour of the Umuolota family as we were told. However, the judgment has been appealed against and stay of execution has been filed at the high court. It is expected that all parties should sheathe their swords until the court concludes its works.
We are worried that if nothing is done to nip the impending mayhem in the bud, it may lead to unprecedented crisis, especially as Omoku and its environs are known to be volatile.
Evidence of mayhem speak volumes as Umuolota family invaded most plots, yards etc., harvesting the people’s cultivated crops such as yam, cassava and selling to some uniformed women in their community thereby fueling crisis in Okposi 2 and part of Omoku community
We seek your quick intervention to save the Okposi community and its environs from the planned mayhem before the deadline of 7th October 2020 given by Umuolota to evict and evacuate the entire Okposi 2 community. We request that you should call both parties to dialogue, pending the final determination of pending matters in court.
Civil Liberties Organisation, CLO is a foremost human rights organization working to protect, defend and promote human and peoples’ rights.
Signed
Styvn Obodoekwe
Zonal Director. South-South Zone
Karl Chinedu
Zonal Chairman, South-South