Chief battles vigilance group, community over over missing son in Rivers

Wednesday, December 11, 2019 5:26 am

Commissioner of Police Rivers State, Mr Mustapha Dandaura

...Chief, family allegedly banished from village for going to court over missing son.

…Chief wants court to ban OSPAC–CDC

Okafor Ofiebor/ Port Harcourt

Controversy is brewing in Rivers over claim by one one Chief Emmanuel Anyina that his son, Amos Amadi disappeared after he honoured invitations by the Community Development Committee, CDC, Chairman of the Community, Chikwere Ogbuogor, the ONELGA Security and Peace Advisory Committee, OSPAC, Vigilante Commander, Alexander Omezuruike, to denounce cultism.

Chief Anyina told journalists that Amos Amadi, was on November 30, taken to OSPAC custody in Omoku, headquarters of Ogba-Egbema-Ndoni local government area but never came back.

He said since then, the boy has not returned home and there has not been any satisfactory explanation on his whereabouts.

He further lamented that leaders of OSPAC and the community refused to appear when he filed a case in court regarding his missing son

Anyina alleged that rather, the CDC Chairman has resorted to intimidating him by banishing him and his family from the community.

He is now calling on the Police and the Rivers State government to wade into the matter.

“On 30 the November, my son was invited by OSPAC. Others have been going and were allowed to go. Why should my son go and he wouldn’t come back and they are intimidating me for taking the community to Court for asking for my son? And they have banished me and family from the community.”

“The called many people to go and submit themselves for amnesty. They go and submit themselves to amnesty and are allowed to go. Why should my brother’s own be different?”

However, the CDC Chairman, Chikwere Ogbuogor, denied the allegations, claiming that he does know the whereabouts of Amadi.

He also denied claims by Chief Anyina that he and members of his family were banished from the community.

But he alleged that the the missing Amadi and others have been terrorising the community.

According to him,” Everybody is not happy with him. If we allow him the way he’s going he will destabilize the peace and security of the community. Are we going to runaway from the community because of his son? We didn’t banish him, we simply told him that we won’t relate with him again as a person because he doesn’t like the community.

Taking OSPAC to court means he wants the Court to proscribe OSPAC. We decided not to relate with him again. I am a lawyer,l have right to chose I relate with.”

Meanwhile, the Rivers State Civil Society Organization has called on the state government and security agencies to wade into the missing boy controversies to ensure that justice is done.

The Chairman of the Civil Society Organization, Enefaa Georgewill, called on the government and conventional security agencies not to allow injustice reign in the society.

He assured that the body will follow up with the case to it’s logical conclusion.

“We used this opportunity to call on the local government Chairman, the Commissioner of Police and the Rivers State government to invite the CDC and OSPAC chairmen to explain their own part of the story. We are under a government governed by the rule of law and nobody should take the laws into his hands.”

In a similar development, the Rivers Police Command has warned that no person or group has power to illegally detain or kill another person.

Speaking over alleged killing of five Persons in Okomoko Community in Etche Local Government Area of Rivers, DSP Nnamdi Omoni, Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, warned that any alleged extra-judicial killing by ONELGA Security Peace Advisory Committee, OSPAC,(Etche) or any vigilante group will be investigated and culprits prosecuted.