Chaos erupted yesterday in Aboh Ogwashi-Uku when a group of violent attackers, reportedly from Ibusa, stormed the community in a planned assault. The incident left several residents injured, properties damaged, and a serving police officer seriously hurt.
Witnesses and security officials said the attack was led by Lucky Abuah, also known as “Bullet,” whom authorities describe as a repeat offender linked to multiple violent incidents. The group reportedly struck in broad daylight, attacking residents and destroying buildings before security operatives intervened.
Officers from the Ogwashi-Uku Area Command, supported by reinforcements from the Delta State Police Headquarters in Asaba, eventually brought the situation under control after a fierce clash, forcing the attackers to retreat and restoring a fragile calm.
Police sources revealed that Abuah is already wanted in Abuja for similar offenses, and that he is currently facing charges related to aggravated assault and causing grievous harm at the Delta State High Court.
Reacting to the incident, community leader Chief Ralph Okafor strongly condemned the attack, describing Abuah and his group as “notorious land grabbers” known for repeated violent incursions into neighboring communities. He stressed that the attack reflects a troubling pattern of using force and intimidation to push questionable claims.
The violence comes at a sensitive time, coinciding with ongoing proceedings at the Federal High Court in Abuja concerning the official name and legal location of Admiralty University. Members of the Ogwashi-Uku community insist the institution lies within their kingdom in Aniocha South Local Government Area, not in Oshimili North, emphasizing that local government boundaries are constitutionally defined and cannot be altered arbitrarily.
They maintain that the recognized boundary between Ibusa and Ogwashi-Uku is several kilometers away from the university, with the matter now before the court for determination.
Some observers believe the attack may be linked to efforts to influence or preempt the legal process through intimidation. There has also been criticism of calls by certain Ibusa figures for government intervention in a case already before the courts, which legal experts warn could undermine judicial independence.
Chief Okafor also dismissed claims of a supposed 1986 Supreme Court ruling settling the boundary dispute, calling them false and misleading. He argued that such claims lack legal basis and cannot justify current positions, noting that the Delta State Government does not enforce court judgments courts do, through due process.
He further pointed out that the boundary dispute is already being handled by the Delta State High Court and urged all parties to respect the legal process. According to him, no amount of intimidation or propaganda will change the facts before the court, and the Ogwashi-Uku community will not be pressured by what he described as fabricated claims.
The incident challenges recent portrayals of Ibusa as peaceful, raising doubts about those claims given the violence in Aboh Ogwashi-Uku. Security has since been tightened in the area, but residents remain anxious and are calling for the swift arrest and prosecution of those responsible.
As tensions persist, attention is now focused on both the Federal High Court in Abuja and the Delta State High Court in Asaba, where decisions on the boundary dispute and the university’s status are expected to provide clarity. For many, the situation underscores a key point: the rule of law not violence will ultimately decide the matter.
