Traditional Ruler Denies Signing Advertorial As Oghara Indigenes Relocate To Asaba, Edo

PHOTO: EMBATTLED PDP CHIEFTAIN, CHIEF JAMES IBORI.

WARRI, DELTA April 22, (THEWILL) - This is definitely not good times for Chief James Ibori, a former Governor of Delta State who is at present, on the run from being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), over his alleged involvement in the misuse of Delta State owned Oceanic Bank Plc shares.

As the search for Ibori continues, the drama surrounding his disappearance took another dimension today when an Urhobo traditional ruler in Delta Central, who was reportedly one of the signatories on the advertorial protesting the planned arrest of the former governor by the EFCC denied protecting Ibori or being a signatory to the said advertorial castigating the commission.

The advertorial in question was published on Sunday, April 18th and Monday, April 19th, in local papers.

The traditional ruler, who opted to remain anonymous spoke to THEWILL’s Warri correspondent saying that traditional rulers were invited for a meeting on a separate agenda but unknown to them a resolution purportedly signed by them protesting the EFCC action was issued. He said the resolution was not even read at the meeting of the Urhobo rulers, and distanced himself from it.

He said the signatures on the advertorial was taken from the list of those that signed the attendance register for the gathering and that it was wrong to have embossed their signatures on the newspaper advertorial.

He urged the embattled governor to turn himself in and allow the courts determine his culpability in the matter.

Meanwhile in a related development, to avoid loss of lives following the directive from the Federal Government to men of the military Joint Task Force (JTF) that Ibori be arrested either dead or alive, indigenes of Oghara, his home town in Ethiope East Local Government Area as well as top state government functionaries have started relocating their families to Asaba and Edo State for fear of being caught in the crossfire.

THEWILL reporter reliably gathered that the evacuation of the residents is to avoid a repetition of what happened in Gbaramatu community in the state during JTF and militants’ face-off in May last year and a similar occurrence in Odi, Bayelsa State.

A lecturer at the Delta State Polytechnic, Oghara, Mr. Austin who spoke with THEWILL in Asaba said he just relocated his family and belongings to Asaba, stressing that there is fear and apprehension within the locality.  

"There is tension everywhere. People can no longer sleep with their two eyes closed for fear that the community may be bombarded overnight. The presence of security agents both conventional and non-conventional has aggravated the fears. People have relocated to Sapele, Warri and Benin. Since I have nobody in those places, I had to run to Asaba as academic work is no longer conducive."

But a former chairman of the Nigerian Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Oghara branch who pleaded anonymity said the youths would resist any infiltration of the community. "Let us see how they (the security) will come in. We are aware that they have planted some detective among us but we know ourselves. We are going to defend our leader, benefactor and true son with every arsenal at our disposal. We are being intimated that they are mobilizing to come either through water or air."

Commenting, a driver with a popular transport company in Edo state, who plies the Benin-Oghara-Sapele-Warri route said the road has been so busy just as business has now become lucrative as he now plies Benin-Oghara route severally as a result of the relocation adding that the fare which was N300 some weeks ago has jumped to N500 while loads are charged separately.

A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Oghara threatened that apart from the action of the youths, the elders and leaders of the party may decide to punish the party in the forth-coming election if one of its financiers is humiliated unduly and wondered why the national body of the party has maintained sealed lips on the matter adding that a river that forgets its source is bound to dry up as according to him the fight against Ibori is tantamount to fighting the party.