National President of the Committee for Defense of Human Rights, (CDHR), Comrade (Dr) Kehinde Prince Taiga, has called on the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Olukayode Egbetokun to fish out police operatives deployed from Abuja, who reportedly shot and killed two police officers and three community youths over land grabbing issues in Okpanam area, Oshimili North LGA of Delta State.
The ownership dispute over a large expanse of land in the community started since 2021, when CP Ari Muhammed Ali, now Assistant Inspector General (AIG), was Delta Commissioner of Police and DCP Johnson, now Commissioner of Police (CP) and current PSO to IGP, was DC Ops at the same time at the Command.
The issue, which had lingered for over three years, took a worrisome dimension recently as Police men were drafted from the Force Headquarters Abuja to unleash terror on some members of the opposition group laying claim to the same property by a powerful cartel known for using security operatives in oppressing those with genuine ownership claim of the disputed land.
Expressing concern over the prolonged delay by the Police at Delta Command and Force headquarters, Abuja, in resolving the issue despite the series petitions to IGP Egbetokun, by the oppressed land owners legal teams and civil society groups on the matter, Taiga raised the fears of a possible interceptions of the petitions from reaching the IGP’s table for prompt attention.
Making the call for IGP’s prosecution of all the policemen from Abuja involved in the killings of fellow policemen and harmless indigenes in a statement to newsmen in Warri, CDHR President urged IGP Egbetokun to as a matter of urgency look into the case to avoid further violence escalations in the community.
He also called for the immediate arrest and prosecution of a major suspect in the land dispute matter, one Ogidi, popularly known in surrounding communities to Okpanam, especially within the axis of Issele Azagba, an agrarian community in Aniocha North council area, for alleged notorious involvement in the series of land grabbing cases that had been recorded in the area.
In the statement, Taiga alleged that it was the same suspect that usually engaged the services of police officers to harass and intimidate property owners in the area under dispute, thereby depriving them of developing their property.
He alleged the height of land dispute crisis in the community in recent was the killing of two police officers with one of them sustaining severe injuries, while three youths were also killed by invading security operatives from Abuja, being sponsored by the cartel in the heat of the ongoing land dispute.
Taiga narrated the ordeals of some Okpanam indigenes with the suspect, stating that one Mr. Chinedu Ifuani, gave sordid details of his experience with the police allegedly acting under the instruction of Ogidi.
He said: “I was arrested at Cable Point in Asaba. I thought they were kidnappers. They tied my eyes with clothes. I was later carried to the state CID office. I told them I’m a businessman from Okpanam. I have my factory where I do my business. I told them I am not what they thought I am.
“They took me to Decoy unit and gave me beatings, but I told them I do not know what they are talking about. They later locked me inside the cell in the Decoy office.
“The summary of all that I went through is from Ogidi, who took contract from Issele Azagba people to fight for them. They promised him 85 acres of land, which he is claiming today. There are so many allegations against him, but Delta state police is allowing all this to go in vain.
“They forged my signature and statement. Every day, we report the matter to the police but they are keeping quiet, allowing him to intimidate us in our community. This matter is in the surveyor general’s office.
“Last time we wanted to go to the bush, we found out that they buried charms everywhere so that we couldn’t enter the bush. We saw them. We are no longer safe in the hands of the police in Delta state. All they do is collect money and support all the evil that Ogidi is doing in our land.
“Every day, they keep forging documents and consent judgment. All documents they are using are forged. No one they obtained through the right channel. We report all this to the police. They know the truth, but they will not do anything. They will collect money and turn against us. This is what is going on in our community. We are no longer safe.
“The land in question belongs to Okpanam community in Oshimili North. The land is from the forefathers in Okpanam. They gave Issele Azagba where they are today. That is Amachai and Okpozoma. They are paying homage. Now that the land has turned to money, they forgot the relationship they had with our forefathers. The agreement is that they will not drag land with us. They are from Aniocha North.”
Mr. Iyke Dike, a property owner in the area, also has an experience he narrated to Kehinde Taiga. According to him, one Emeka (Ogigi’s brother) bought a parcel of land from Issele Azagba, who later discovered that Issele Azagba had issues with Okpozoma, vowed to invite his brother to fight for them.
Dike revealed that at the commencement of the battle to claim the land from Okpozoma, a community in Okpanam, Issele Azagba promised to give him land as compensation. He reportedly told them where he wanted to be given to him.
Dike further revealed that the land he requested had already been sold to Delta State House of assembly cooperative society. Hence, he demanded that the cooperative should be reallocated to another area, a development the cooperative rejected.
Dike alleged that following their refusal to be relocated, Ogidi forcefully entered the land, removed all the beacon, to take charge because they’re civil servants, and can’t fight him. He said that was how the fight between Ogidi and Okpozoma started.
According to him: “Ogidi did not buy land, but he was invited to fight for Issele Azagba community”.
He explained that he bought a property from the Delta Assembly cooperative society, who bought from Issele Azagba, which he regularised with Okpozoma.
He explained that he cleared the land, built the fence, and built a gatehouse. But on July 23, 2024, at 1am., issues began to rise about the land. Report filtered in that the fence he built behind wichtech was being pulled down.
“I called my police officers, and we headed to the site. We called the community, and we called Okpanam DPO. Getting to the site, we saw troops of CTU policemen with more than 10 vans pulling out. I got down from the car and asked questions, but no one gave me any response.
“I saw the fence already brought down. I insisted the last set of CTU police men won’t leave until they give me answers to my questions. One of the officers threatened to scatter me. The next thing I heard was a trigger that burst my tire.
Another one was released again, and one of my police officers was shot.
“With the help of the community people and Okpanam DPO, they were disarmed and arrested, In few days time, they were released and all the evidence were released without proper investigation by Delta state Police Command on the killing of the officers and three young men and Malicious damage.
“They thereafter opened up that it was Ogidi that sent them to carry out the operation. This they have been doing around the areas, but nobody has been able to get them on site. They come around 12 midnight, 1am, 2am, carry out operations and leave.
“To my greatest surprise is that everything that was brought before the Delta state command was released without investigation. Several petition written to the IGP end at the IGP PSO office, CP Johnson, who was former DC Ops in Delta state Command.
“I am calling on the IGP to direct CP Delta to investigate the killing of the officers, the shooting, and the malicious damages caused,” he stated.
