The circumstances surrounding the arrest of a local anti-illegal bunkering activist, Chief Futek Zikoregha by detectives from Force Headquarters, Abuja, is generating dust in Delta state, especially as it came after the the embattled community leader raised the alarm over plans to frame him up and arrest him. SHOLA O’NEIL, who has been following the activities of the activist for nearly a decade writes on his latest travails, averring that he might be the victim of a well-orchestrated vendetta by a gang that has hijacked Odimodi community
Chief Futek Zikoregha , as a former chairman of the oil-rich Forcados and a leader of Odimodi community both in Burutu Local Government Area of Delta State, knows a lot about illegal bunkering and how it affects the environmental, ecological and social fabrics of his society. He knows the dirty community politics over royalties and sharing of oil companies’ largess as well as the tricks some leaders play to extort money from oil companies.
He knows key players in the illicit oil deals in the waterways and has had series of run-ins with some of them because of his objection to the trade.
The first time this reporter met him was in early 2008 and it was in a hideout of an obscured hotel in Warri; he was on the run after blowing the lid on the dirty deals of a prominent local chief. Although barely literate, he knows the effects and devastation of crude oil pollution.
“Our ecology has been devastated, mangrove trees are dying mysteriously; periwinkles-gathering is no longer possible because of oil pollution and our fishes are too leady for consumption just because of bunkering,” he told our reporter in an exclusive interview published in the March 17, 2008 edition of this newspaper.
To further tackle the masterminds of the crime, he formed the Heroes of Peace (HOPE) Initiative, a nongovernmental organization which tracks and reports to security operatives the activities of criminals troubling oil pipelines in the area.
In a recent communication to the Commanding Officer of 3 Battalion dated 2/09/14, the group disclosed that “These said bunkerers are currently using about three to four flat bottom vessels to convey petroleum products… Also they have about 17 to 20 Cotonou boats, which they load on daily basis.”
The letter identified Abrabebe Community near the Forcados NNPC pipeline and Forcados trunk lines, Forcados Export Line and Nigeria Agip’s Beniboye facilities as spots where they criminals are having their day and urged the JTF to take “appropriate steps and actions” to stop the criminals.
Asked why he took upon himself the dangerous task of fighting illegal bunkering, Zikoregha once told our reporter, “I don’t see why we (communities) should be crying foul over oil spills resulting from companies’ legitimate business, when our own people are destroying pipelines and committing worse environmental crimes.”
It was against the backdrop of his objection to pipeline vandalism and similar crimes in the area that his arrest by policemen from the Force Headquarters, Abuja came as a shock to those who him – some blame it on “crime fighting back”.
Hunter becomes
the hunted
Zikoregha knows how powerful and vengeful the operators of the illegal bunkering rings and beneficiaries of illegal deals in the area are. But the middle-aged activist failed to recognize how far criminals could go to protect their illegitimate wealth.
“His outspokenness and actions on illegal bunkering and attack on oil facilities may have won him friends in the environmental rights community and the media, it also brought him scores of powerful enemies among his kinsmen,” an environmental rights activist told our report.
Involvement of police, other security agents
Prior to his arrest on April 1, Zikoregha had been engaged in a running battle with some factional leaders of Odimodi Community. His face-offs with the group peaked when the group threatened to shut down operation of Shell Petroleum Development Company in the area. Their gross with the company was the failure of SPDC to award the lucrative contract for the repair of the 48″ SBM pipeline, which was attacked by vandals, to a local firm. An oil industry source said the company does not award such contract to indigenes of community where its facilities are sabotaged to discourage connivance.
Speaking with Niger Delta Report on the threat, the activist said those who signed the paid advertorial where the threat was made lacked the capacity to speak for the community. He said Benjamin Gbesine and Ingo Davies, ‘Chairman’ and ‘Secretary’ of Odimodi, had been disowned by the Amadiwei (traditional head).
He accused them of acting out a script, adding that they are lackeys for a prominent businessman and contractor who was eyeing the pipeline repair contract. He said when the deal fell through, the duo and others issued the threat to arm-twist the company.
Zikoregha was banned from the community. He petitioned the Assistant Inspector-General of Police, Zone 5 Benin City, over persistent threats to his life and those of other members of HOPE and his family. He fingered the duo and one Presley Iyalagha, the surveillance contractor, whose section of the SBM line was breached.
Contacted, Iyalagha, debunked the allegation and accused our reporter of being used by blackmailers and threatened to get him “into trouble”.
He said, “Did you see my signature in any of the documents? You are the same person who wrote about me in your paper; you are going to get your company into trouble”, he thundered, in a very heated telephone chat when our reporter sought his comment.
However, Zikoregha, in the petition, told Zone 5 AIG that he had information that a meeting was held on the 23rd of February, where a decision was taken to frame him and other members of the group with “heinous crime of illegal possession of firearms” and other weighty crimes.
“We are fully convinced that these characters possess the requisite capacity and intent to implement their evil design,” he said and appealed to the AIG to call those fingered in the plot for interrogation and possible arrest, if they found guilty.
But fate forced him back to Odimodi when he lost his elder brother, Capt Jacob Kiyagha. He said he was attacked by agents of his traducers when he took the corpse for burial. Youths armed with cudgels, cutlasses and other dangerous weapons beat him to pulp, forcing him to abandon the corpse and run for dear life.
An ‘unblessed’
peacemaker
But for the intervention of the Vice Chairman of the community’s youth, identified as Mr James Benarode, he said he would have been lynched. Sadly, for the peacemaker, for his ‘interference’, he was given the beating of his life and still bore a scare from the incident.
Benarode told NDR on Monday morning that he was not only beaten black and blue, but was detained at a ‘prison’ operated by the gang.
Worried by the threats, the victims went to the Warri High Court to obtain a restraining order against the group to prevent further attack. The affidavit deposed in support of the motion accused the group of using security operatives, including an officer of the Nigerian Navy identified as Lt Comd R K Ruma, to terrorise the community.
They said although the matter was reported to the Nigerian Police station at Burutu, there was no response. Worried by the police’ silence, Zikoregha said he asked his solicitors “to write a fresh complaint to the Area Commander, Warri to take urgent steps to save my life and others…”
It was while the suit was pending in court that he was served a cruel April Fool Day joke when he was arrested by policemen from the Ugborikoko Police Station on the behest of FCID.
It was gathered that he was arrested when he went as a pointer with a bailiff who was serving the court processes of the pending suit on one of the defendants. He was whisked away in the presence of the stupefied bailiff and swiftly moved to the Federal Criminal Investigation Department (FCID), Abuja. Reports that could not be independently confirmed indicated that detectives demand N2m to ‘bail’ to free him.
‘Police aiding
reign of terror’
Meanwhile, his family and perceived sympathizers like Benarode, in the community say they have become victims of daily haunts and threats from the powerful clique, which is believed to have usurped the traditional leadership of the community.
Benarode told our reporter: “I have been in hiding because I rescued someone they wanted to beat to death. They took me to their guardroom and the next day they brought navy to threaten me. My life has not been the same since them. They are threatening my family members who are still in the village; my elder brother called me this morning. He said they asked him to produce me or face dire consequences. They have gone to my employer and asked him to sack me. I am scared to move around because they are using police to harass us, using false allegation to cow everybody,”
The Police Public Relations Officer, Delta Command, Celestina Kalu (DSP) who was contacted by our reporter, said she was not aware of the incident. DSP Kalu promised to investigate and get details of the incident from the Divisional Police Officer in charge of Ugborikoko before getting back to us. She was yet to do so at press time. But a source at the station told our reporter that the instruction to arrest Zikoregha came from above, adding, “We were instructed to follow up.”
Odimodi under siege; elders are helpless – Prince Ikirie
One of the aggrieved leaders of the community, Prince Wilfred Ikirie, told our report that the community was under siege by persons who use brute force to silence those who spoke out against them. Ikirie, a former youth leader of the community said the elders are afraid and cannot speak because of threat of retributions and unpleasant fates of Zikoregha and others.
He said. “There is a cartel in Odimodi who assume control by using their militant strength. A constitution that the Amadiwei, is the sole authority and leader to inaugurate the leadership of the community has been abandoned. Unfortunately, this cartel is armed with militant power; they have taken over and overshadowed him. They forcefully swear-in themselves. Anybody who attempt to speak out and say the truth becomes their enemy.”
“They said I took the community to court, but I said no, I only took impostors to court. For this they say my sisters must pay for lawyers to stand for them or else they would be banished from the town. We are under siege of militants and criminals parading themselves as leaders of Odimodi.”
Navy’s reaction
The Commander of the Nigerian Naval Ship (NNS) Delta, Commodore Musa Gemu, said such an arrest could not have been made by him, pointing out that he had fought the oil theft war without reservation, adding that he would rather have defended the victim if he had been informed of his activities. According to him, no naval officer could have made the said arrest without his knowledge and that he would have done so, if he had known of any case as that, in the glare of media.
“He was not arrested by the navy, there’s no way anybody will be arrested by my command and I won’t know about it, not to talk of transferring the case to Abuja. I am the chief officer here and nothing of such nature happening escapes my attention. When I arrest, I don’t hide it, I make sure I invite you people (media) to be witnesses.
“However, we are not unaware of people impersonating the navy, we just recently arrested some persons impersonating the army. If I had heard about this matter early enough, I would have by now gotten to the roots because we are talking about a human life now and I don’t joke with that. This case you are talking about is something else and I can sincerely tell you that the navy is not involved, we didn’t make any such arrest,” Gemu said.
