Tension In Obayantor Community Over Military Invasion

By Flourish Osetohanmen

There has been palpable tension at Obayantor 1 Community in Ikpoba Okha Local Government area of Edo State, following the invasion of the Community by the military arising from unrest in the community.

Several lives have been lost as a result of the incident as video clips on social media platforms and the conventional media indicated that the community is in disarray, a situation that was said to have made several landlords and residents homeless.

However this scenario gave birth to a story of a woman who attempted to commit suicide when the news crew visited house number No.12, old Sapele road, Ekae Benin City.
The gridlock on the road prompted passersby to put calls across to the press following the usual gathering.

It was observed that a large crowd of sympathizers gathered round the septuagenarian apparently given her a beacon of hope.

In an interview with our news crew, the woman who identified herself as Mrs. Patience Omorogbe Ekuase said her son, wife and three children are missing and their whereabouts are unknown following continuous invasion of the Community by the Nigerian military which unleashed terror on the community.

She maintained that some corpses have not been found, a situation that has become unbearable for her to live, hence she wants to end her living on earth.

While narrating her ordeal, the Septuagenarian Mrs. Ekuase said trouble started when there was an overthrow of the leadership between one Mr. Endurance Omoregie and Mr. Osatohamwen Oduwa as the leader of the Community Development Association, popularly referred to as CDA, pointing out that her son who is into the real estate business (ANOINTED ESTATE AGENTS), purchased a large expanse of land from the previous CDA administration but that the new leadership that took over power nullified the purchase agreement and sales made by the previous administration while calling for re-buying of the lands.

She stated that the situation didn’t go down well with her son who allegedly joined other house owners and subscribers who earlier purchased lands from him on a peaceful protest to draw the attention of the government to the inhuman treatment meted on them by the current leadership of the community, but unknown to her son that the present CDA Chairman Osatohamwen Oduwa whom she described as an ingrate has sold most of the lands to military personnel who later invaded the community.

She added that her son’s house at the Obayantor 1 has been invaded, burnt and property worth millions of naira allegedly looted by Oduwa and his cohorts while military were on rampage in the community

When contacted, the army Public Relations Officer Fourth Brigade of the Nigeria Army Benin City, Captain Yemi Sokoya who confirmed the crisis in Obayantor 1 Community, asserted that the army was in the community to restore normalcy following the leadership tussle between two groups which overwhelmed the police.

He however denied any involvement in the killings as alleged.

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