Ovade-Oghara: Community Leader Feared Dead, Scores Wounded In Renewed Leadership Tussle

Since the discovery of crude oil at Ovade-Oghara Community in Ethiope West Local Government Area of Delta State, Nigeria in 1972, by the Dutch Company, operators of the Pan-Ocean Oil Company, what appears to bring development to the agrarian community, instead came with periodic deaths, injuries, destruction of properties, burning of houses, etc.

Like a ritual of periodic abasement, the community has never known peace from the very beginning when this company came to them; a situation that makes some persons believe that the community may have been jinxed for their God given blessing. The question is, is it a curse for them to find oil on their soil? For many communities worldwide, a situation like this comes with massive development to such communities but the position of Ovade instead of joy what they got in return is deaths upon deaths, destructions and what have you.

As we speak, many of the indigenes have fled their homeland to strange

places for fear of death.

Despite government interventions in each of the crisis, the next moment, when all thought the crisis has abated, what you hear next is that Ovade is on fire again. Many have been killed while others are cooling off in the police cells/prisons as a result of the unending crisis. To be candid, government at all levels have intervened in the Ovade crisis yet their efforts have all met with brick walls. The level of devastation done to themselves has reached an alarming proposition that one cannot help but write this piece to the entire world so that an urgent and lasting solution should be arrived at for peace to reign and for those residents who have gone into hiding and for those still alive so that they can come back to their homes and start their normal life once again.

The media has been awash with sad developments from Ovade Community. It is either there is a protest from the youths, women or elders at Pan Ocean gate in Ovade or at their corporate headquarters in Benin or there is a war in the community. The people on their own through what they placed on the news in all instances, was that the company has reneged on their part on the MoU reached at its inception in1972. They have alleged that their farm lands, fishing ponds, have been devastated by oil exploration, while their youths have been removed from work and many other allegations.

In his narrative, Mr. Edewor Amuvworo an indigene of the community explained that since 2007 when a top politician from the community stepped into the matter by stopping youth activities in the area this did not go down well with some of the youths, consequently resulting in crisis leading to the death of many in the community. He disclosed that their youth leader Mr. Ejiro Efetobo appealed

to the said politician to allow him stay on in power for just one term more to complete his second term in office yet the said politician did not bulge. Since Ejiro Efetobo did not step down, the powers that be in the community are alleged instigated crisis in the community that claimed a life and also, the house of the youth leader was burnt to ashes. The Vice Chairman, late Mr. Ighoyovwi Agbokoko and his grandmother’s house including his family’s properties in Ovade were burnt down. Many other indigenes of Ovade not mentioned also had their properties burnt down in the same saga.

Soon after this, it was alleged further that Ejiro Efetobor and his executive were arrested, detained and charged to court on the allegation of murder. It was while the case was on in court that the same politician swore in another executive to replace that of Mr. Ejiro in 2007 till October, 2011 when Ejiro and his executive were discharged and acquitted by the High Court of Justice, Orerokpe. In 2012, the said politician then called Ejiro Efetobor and his executive for settlement for him to continue his chairmanship position previously cut short by unwarranted arrest and court action meted on him in 2007, and no sooner they were sworn-in in year 2012, than His Excellency Dr. Emmanuel Eweta Uduaghan, the then Governor of Delta State proscribed youth activism in Oghara, including Ovade which took a long period of time before the same Governor lifted the ban. At this stage, instead of Ejiro Efetobo to be allowed to continue, one Mr. Wilson Elisha was sworn=in as the new youth leader of Ovade Community. This, Mr. Edewor

said resulted to another crisis that lasted for some time but no life was lost.

In 2015, the said political leader invited Ejiro Efetobor, where he was sworn in to complete his tenure which he was deprived of in 2007. This was to commence in March, 2015 and to end in March 2019. He added that their big brother and politician whom they alleged as the mastermind of the crisis, claimed that Ejiro Efetobo and his executive have ruled Ovade for 16 years. Mr. Edewor, while seeking justice to this community crisis, wants the world to know that Ejiro’s tenure was short-lived by one crisis or the other and was never allowed any moment of peace by the powers that be.

Mr. Edewor continued, that the recent reason that sparked off the recent crisis was the murder of the Vice Chairman of Ovade Youths, Mr. Ighoyovwi Agbokoko by the same people they alleged were behind their crisis.  As a resuit of the gruesome murder of the Vice Chairman of the community by the vigilante group on the allegation that he was an armed robber, the community is now a shadow of itself as all able youths have fled the place for fear of been killed by the warring

factions of the youths. Those who fled have vowed never to return home for fear of been killed by the rampaging youths who seek little opportunity to strike, kill, maim and to destroy the properties of their own people.

Some of the people who volunteered to speak to journalists within the community also alleged that their big brother/politician often times import cultists from Sapele and Benin in Edo State to destroy and instigate crisis in Ovade. Properties, including about 36 houses have been reportedly destroyed while several persons killed and others maimed for life. Many have fled the community and their whereabouts unknown for fear of been killed.

As at the time of writing this script, the effect of the crisis on the community is such that it is only women, the aged ones, and few young persons that stay around with their watchful eyes against any reprisal attack.  All business activities have been grounded.

A visit to Ovade-Oghara, will explain this better. When other villages and the main Ogharefe town is booming with life and activities, at Ovade, the story is no longer the same. Oil wells came to the community through Pan-Ocean, instead of wealth, development and hope, it has brought throes of woes, anguish, sorrow, to the owners of the land.

Children born out of the community with their parents are no longer proud to stage a comeback home during weekends and holiday periods.

Their ancestral home has been devastated, the people are leaving the community to settle elsewhere in droves. No well-to-do individual from the community has a home of his own in Ovade for fear of been burnt by irate youths.

The divide and rule policy of Pan-Ocean, a major oil production company operating in the community of Delta State since 1972 has instead brought untold hardship to the original owners of the land. Several MoU reached between the company and its host community has always reached brick walls, leading to clashes and many protest, accusations and counter accusations.

Some persons are of the opinion that the ever listening Governor of Delta State, Senator (Dr.) Ifeanyi Arthur Okowa should wade into the crisis in the community.

The people here should be allowed to enjoy their God-given blessings. The younger ones should be trained either in vocational education or still they should be given scholarships to attend conventional institutions so that they can stand on their own, thereby desisting from criminal activities and other related youth vices. Once they are gainfully employed or into one business or the other, they won’t have any time for community matter. The death of the Vice Chairman by the alleged vigilante in Oghara should be seriously investigated and killers brought to book.

Mr. Ejiro Efetobor, the Chairman of the Ovade Youth leaders who is also currently in hiding to avoid been killed by those who killed his vice, said in a phone conversation while corroborating the statement of Mr. Edewor, that his Vice was killed at Ogharefe, by the vigilante group, who alleged that he was an armed robber, thereafter took his corpse to the Ogharefe Police Division where the Divisional Police Officer in charge who knew the vice refused to accept his body instead referred them to the Area Command in Sapele where he was finally accepted for further investigation.

Mr. Efetobor in his hide out cried out that his Vice is not a thief or a robber and that the powers that be willfully killed him after they could not trail him who is their main target. He appealed to the government and all security agencies in the country not to allow the case to die, but do all it takes to investigate the matter thoroughly by bringing those guilty to book. As we speak, the body of the late Vice Chairman, according to Mr. Ejiro Efetobor, is in the morgue at Sapele Central Hospital.

He explained that he is sending our Save Our Soul (S.O.S) message to the government, all stakeholders in Oghara Community to intervene in this matter so that peace can come back to their community.