By Onome Oghenetega
The Committee for Defence of Human Rights (CDHR) has warned against the use of agents of government particularly the police to intimidate and oppress innocent and armless indigenes of Uzere community in Isoko South Local Government Area of Delta State by some political leaders in the area.
CDHR, while frowning at the development, said if the current situation at Uzere community is allow to go on unchecked, the situation could snowball into serious security threat in the area and the Governor Ifeanyi Okowa-led administration’s peace drive in the state.
In a statement by the Delta state branch of the rights group on Friday, CDHR appealed to Governor Ifeanyi Okowa to call his political aides from area to order, noting that many of them have been using their positions to abuse dissenting voices in the community.
The statement signed by Delta Chairman of the body, Comrade (Dr) Kehinde Taiga, said it amounts to abuse of office for government functionaries either at the state or local government level to use their offices to oppress their people.
Taiga told the Governor Okowa to caution some of his aides and political appointees in Isokoland not to use to molest and intimidate who have contrary views to issues relating to the running and development of the oil-rich community.
Similarly, CDHR also urged the State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Adeyinka Adeleke, to counsel his men to avoid being used to oppress local indigenes by politicians from the area.
Comrade Taiga, who also doubled as the National Vice President of the body, noted that the body would not hesitate to stage a mass protest right in front of the Government House in Asaba and force headquarters, Asaba, to ensure that the issue of oppression of local indigenes by government officials is urgently addressed.
The body reminded the elected political office holders and government appointees from the community as well as the elected community executives to always remember that power is transient, as they would not occupy such positions forever.
It also warned the policemen who were being used to perpetrate such act of oppression in these communities to desist, as whatever evil they connived with politicians in perpetrating to suppress the wish of the masses would come back to them after retirement.
“We are determined more than ever before to ensuye3 that the people of this state, not just the indigenes of Uzere kingdom in Isoko South Council areas, have right of expression in their own affaurs and not being harassed or intimidated by anyone in high places”, it stated.
“We advice the Commissioner of police to invite both parties or groups involved in the Uzere crisis to find out the cause of the dispute and provide workable solutions to their differences in the interest of peace”.
“The Police Commissioner should compel both parties in the crisis to sign peace accord that would sustain the fragile peace currently prevalent in the community pending when a lasting solutions to the crisis would be preferred by all the stakeholders”, he admonished.
Meanwhile, a community indigene, Chief College Owefe, who narrared his ordeals, revealed how some of the community delegates invited to a peace meeting at the council secretariat were beaten by policemen on the order of politicians.
According to him; “On Monday 16th of December 2019, some Uzere leaders who were invited by the Isoko South Local council chairman for a peace meeting but were beaten up right in the council premises, they were however luck to have escaped”.
“These same people brought police again into the community shooting at people and violently made away with the community bus that was bought by ex-president general Columbus Oguname’s administration. As we speak the bus is not in the community.
“For the past 5 months these same people and their agents have constantly harass and terrorise members of the community with the connivance of the police with support from their cronies in government.
“Unknown policemen have laid siege in the community and are still there under the guise of that there is crisis in a peaceful community, where everyone is going about their own business.
“It is on record that all these acts were being perpetrated for their personal greed and selfish interest against the wish of the majority of the people in the community.”
