Fear has enveloped Agrisaba, a rural community in Nembe Local Government Area, Bayelsa State, after the September 13 violence that erupted in the area.
Thugs invaded a meeting organised by the community’s council of chiefs and in what many people described as desecration of tradition, descended on the traditional rulers with blows, horse whips and other weapons. They created panic in the community.
Desperate to save their lives, the community’s Regent, Chief Sampson Awudulu and other chiefs abandoned the assembly and ran to different directions for safety. While some ran to Yenagoa, others fled to Port Harcourt in Rivers State and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
In fact, there is no doubt that things have fallen apart in a fishing and farming Agrisaba, which is under the Mini-Ikensi Rural Development Authority. Some persons have traced the trouble in the community to crude oil.
They argued that before crude oil was struck in commercial quantity in the community by the Nigerian Agip Oil Company, the area which was administered by a king and his council of chiefs was known for its peace and quietness.
Nothing was known about its kingship and political transition. No outsider including the state government was interested in the affairs of the community.
But, oil and its gains have changed the story of Agrisaba. The once peaceful community had gradually descended to chaos. The kingship stool has surprisingly become a cash cow. All eyes are now on the stool and the government appears to have developed much interest in the leadership of the community.
The recent lingering controversies started with the emergence of a new king in the community. After many months of politicking and maneuvering that allegedly bore the stamp of the office of the deputy governor of he state, one Means Samuel Walter was declared the king of the community.
But the Agrisaba Council of Chiefs, a body with constitutional powers of a kingmaker, disagreed with the process that enthroned Walter. They believe that like a house with a weak foundation, Walter’s rule will not stand the test of time. The opposing chiefs will not address Walter as their king.
Initially, 15 out of the 18 members of the council including Awudulu, have maintained that the king was imposed on the community by the state government. They claimed that the promoters of the new king abandoned the community’s tradition and constitution to foist their preferred candidate on the rural people.
Shortly after he was crowned the king, Walter asked the unhappy chiefs to take their case to the court insisting that he emerged through the laid down procedure and tradition.
But, aggrieved chiefs had through many documents and letters, including litigation tried in vain to stop the election. They have not relented even after Walter was crowned a king. They are still fighting a cause they believe in. In fact, they had gone back to the court. On September 13, they met in the community.
Awudulu told Niger Delta Report why they decided to meet despite the tension in the community. He said: “The constitution and tradition required the holding of meeting quarterly by members in the community.”
But, he claimed that they scheduled the meeting after notifying the police and the Joint Task Force (JTF) codenamed Operation Pulo Shield. He said the Commissioner of Police, Mr. Hillary Opara, approved the meeting and deployed 15 mobile policemen in the area.
The regent, however, lamented that the police disappeared from the area when the hooligans stormed their meeting. He accused the police of conspiracy and said one of their injured chiefs, Denis Otiotio Odoni was arrested by the police after the incident.
He raised the alarm that their “lives are in danger”. He appealed to the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar, to intervene and rescue them from alleged gang-up between the police in the state and some agents of the state government.
He said: “We the members of the council of chiefs wrote a letter to the Commissioner of Police for permission and protection during the meeting based on our desire to maintained law and order.
“The Commissioner of Police graciously granted the approval of the meeting and deployed 15 mobile police men to the community. The JTF commandant in charge of Nembe was also notified and deployed his men to the community.
“It is sad and worrisome that the police men ran away with the speedboat abandoning their responsibility to maintain law and order. The chiefs were attacked in the presence of the police without them intervening.
“The chiefs and some of the youths were injured and, to be specific, Chief Denis Otiotio Odoni and Chief William Beredugo Ginah were injured during the attack.
“Is the Bayelsa state police command meant to be used to settle traditional and political difference in the state?
“We the council of chiefs wish to inform the general public that the same police commissioner that deployed the policemen and also gave approval has arrested Chief Odoni , a victim of the attack. He has been detained based on spurious allegation that he and the chiefs were setting up a new PDP.
“This is part of the orchestrated effort to pitch the chiefs against the President and the governor. Let us state for record purpose that the Chief Awudul is the assistant publicity secretary of the party in the state and participated actively in the press briefing by the party executive held on the 12th of September 2013 to dispel the story making round that there is a splinter group of PDP in the state of Bayelsa.
“We condemn the action of the police and demand the immediate and unconditional release of the Chief Odoni which health is deteriorating as a result of the pains and injury he sustained and the inhuman condition he is been subjected to.
“The Bayelsa State Police Command has persistently and consistently refused to grant him bail since Friday that he was arrested. The Bayelsa police command has no right to detain a citizen of Nigeria for an alleged offence that is bailable.”
But, Opara told the chiefs not to involve the police in chieftaincy tussle, adding that the police only intervened to maintain law and order in the community.
“The police are not kingmakers. There is already a king in the community and if they don’t like the process that brought him to power, they should go to court and challenge him.
“Why are they directing their efforts to the police? We didn’t ask them to go there and fight. They shouldn’t drag us into chieftaincy tussle,”he said.
He said persons involved in the fracas had been identified and arrested. He added that Odoni was among the suspects arrested, adding that the police had filed a matter in the court against them.
He said the 15 policemen who were deployed in the community were sourced illegally by the chiefs adding that the command had commenced disciplinary action against the policemen.
He said: “Those who were involved in the fracas have been arrested and charged to court. The case has been filed in the court and the court will serve him.
“When the crisis started and the king there inaugurated, I was not there. The chiefs collected the policemen somewhere in Yenagoa here. Those policemen are in trouble and we are already taking disciplinary action against them.”
