A group, South-South Professional & Transparency Initiatives (SSPTI), has challenged indigenes of Okpanam in Oshimili North Local Government area to visit Nigeria Police Force CID, Area 10 Abuja, to submit relevant documents relating to its ownership claim of the disputed land with Issele-Azagba people in Aniocha North Council area of Delta state.
The group expressed concerns that the Okpanam Indigenes since the land dispute started about three years ago have not deemed it fit to visit the Force CID Area 10 Abuja to tender necessary documents to prove its ownership claim.
It said this smacked of cowardice that they failed to show up since the matter was transferred to Abuja.
Following an alleged bias of some senior police officers at the Delta Police Command, Asaba in handling the matter, some displeased stakeholders in the case petitioned the Force Headquarters and the matter was subsequently transferred to the Inspector General of Police, (IGP) Olukayode Egbetokun’s office.
It was gathered that based on the violence and killings recorded over the disputed land, including the murder of two policemen three years ago and three youths early this year, IGP Egbetokun directed the Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG CID), Sylvester Abiodun Alabi, to investigate the matter and bring to justice those responsible for the acts.
Reacting to the alleged efforts by the Okpanam indigenes to frustrate the process of investigations by falling to appear before DIG Alabi at the Force CID Area 10 Abuja, SSPTI in a statement by its Chairman, Dr. Ugochukwu Alozie, noted it could be because the Okpanam indigenes do not have any document to prove their ownership case on the disputed land.
Parts of the statement reads:“As a follow up to our earlier statement where we made it loud and clear that the Okpanam indigenes who had been the aggressor to the Issele-Azagba people of Aniocha North, over the land in question, do not have any document to prove their ownership, we have also discovered efforts by the same people to frustrate the ongoing investigations by not showing up at the Force CID, Area 10 Abuja.
“We have carried out our independent investigations at the Police Headquarters, and find out that none of the key actors in Okpanam community laying claim to the disputed land have turned up at the place to present documents to back their claim so as to enable the investigating team led by DIG Alabi to carry out the mandate handed over to it by IGP Egbetokun”.
“We are therefore using this medium to call on the Okpanam community indigenes to be bold enough and come before the investigating panel and tender the documents relating to their ownership claim of the disputed land area so as to enable the team conclude of the assignment handed to it by the IGP Egbetokun”.
“In a situation where they continue to evade appearing before the investigating panel, we want to urge the police to declare wanted the major actors both within and outside their community, as well as some of the senior police officers who had aided them to unleash series of terror that had claimed lives and bring them to justice.”
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