When Edo boiled over alleged murder of two youths

In less than two weeks, two young men met their untimely death in controversial circumstances. One was allegedly killed by men of the Edo State Police command while other was said to have been killed by men of the Nigeria Army. IDRIS UMAR MOMOH writes on the intrigues that led to the deaths and protests by the people.

David Okoniba and Efe Igbinovia were two promising young men from Edo State who had dreamt of better life for their families and communities.

David (28) was from Ewu community in Esan Central Local Government Area, father of two kids with a pregnant wife, while Efe Igbinovia, about 33 years old, was from Obadolovbiyeyi community in Ikpoba Okha Local Government area, a father of one and husband to a pregnant wife.

Unfortunately, their lives however, were allegedly cut short by security operatives in the course of carrying out their responsibilities.

Okoniba, a commercial taxi driver, met his untimely death on February 6, 2018, in the presence of his wife when a policeman on check point allegedly pushed him into a moving articulated vehicle at Upper Igun end of the Murtala Muhammed way over his refusal to part with the sum of N200 bribe demanded by the policemen.

The formal, solemnization of his marriage to his betrothed wife, Ruth, was supposed to have taken place yesterday (Saturday).

But Efe Igbinovia, who was a pall loader in sand mining establishment, was mistakenly shot dead by an unidentified army officer in the course of duty as a vigilante member to defend his community against external aggressors and criminality.

The suddenly death of the duo did not go unnoticed by the people in the state, especially their peers, professional colleagues and community members.

David Okoniba’s death led to wild protest across the state capital where angry youths, motorists and residents ventilated their anger by making bonfire and setting ablaze four Hilux vans including those belonging to the Edo State police command and Edo State Government environmental Taskforce operational vehicle.

Scores of persons awaiting trial at a mobile court arrested for alleged violation of environmental law at Third Junction were also set free after the court proceeding was disrupted.

Three persons including a policeman were said to have been killed during the protest while some policemen that were at the check point where the incident happened were also said to have managed to escape.

The vehicle of the victim, a black BMW with registration number AFZ 846 HW and the petrol tanker marked FKJ 567 XB, were parked at the scene of the incident.

Eyewitnesses alleged that a policeman was lynched by the rioters. Commuters and pedestrians were not spared of the inconveniences that accompanied the protest as all adjourning streets witnessed traffic jam and hike in transportation fares by motorists by over 200 percent.

Festus Okoniba, David’s elder brother, said his late sibling “was stopped by some policemen as early as 7am. They asked him for his vehicle papers and he told them that the papers were with the police.

“They told him to sit in their vehicle. They asked him if he did not know the right thing to do. He brought out N1, 000 to give the policeman. The policeman shot and pushed him out. That was when the truck crushed him. All I want is justice.” Reacting to the David’s death, Edo State Commissioner of Police, Johnson Kokumo, said although the victim died in a fatal motor accident, he had ordered the arrest of the policemen allegedly responsible for the accident.

“I have ordered the arrest of the policemen allegedly involved in the accident and full-scale investigation will be carried out. If the policemen are found culpable in any manner, appropriate punishment would be meted out to them,” he said.

In the case of Efe Igbinovia, he was mistakenly shot by men of the Nigeria Army allegedly attached to pipeline in Ologbo community in Ikpoba Okha Local Government Area of the state.

Igbinovia, a vigilante member in his Obadolovbiyeyi community was on February 14, 2018 killed in the early hours of the fateful Wednesday in the course of securing his community and his people against external and internal aggressors by some army personnel allegedly invited by Fulani herdsmen arrested by the vigilante group for protection.

He was said to have been killed by the soldier while he was keeping watch over one of the arrested herdsmen in connection with armed robbery.

His death prompted youths in the community to besiege the premises of Central Hospital, Benin-City to hold Edo State Commandant of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corp (NSCDC), Ayinla Mankinde and some mobile policemen hostage over alleged plot to protect the arrested herdsmen.

The youth also, for several minutes, prevented the commercial bus that brought the suspected herdsmen to take them out of the hospital.

The commercial bus marked BEN 864 AC was heavily guarded by mobile policemen and NSCDC. It however, took the intervention of the State commandant of the security agency before the suspects and the corpse of the murdered vigilante man could be taken out of the hospital to the headquarters of the Edo State police command.

Speaking with journalists, Ayinla Makinde, the State Commandant of NSCDC, said the agency received a distress call from commander of Operation Thunderstorm, Edo State joint security outfit at about 2am about a robbery incident.

Makinde added that on getting to the scene they met the corpse of a young man.

The NSCDC boss, who recounted the community’s explanation, said armed men came to the community to rob, and that the vigilante group arrested two of them.

He added that the deceased was directed to look over the suspect while others went for reinforcement, saying that no sooner had they left for re-inforcement than about four men in army uniform stormed the scene of the incident and started shooting sporadically, after the arrested herdsmen spoke to them a language that the vigilante group did not understand.

While assuring that the allegation would be investigated, he explained that men of the Nigerian army, civil defence and policemen were in the community to evacuate the corpse.

He further disclosed that while in the hospital, the investigating police officer in charge of the case also brought another person for medical treatment, and that the person was allegedly recognised by the community people as one of the robbery suspects caught during the robbery operation.

On his part, Okpamen Osemwengie Henry, spokesperson of the community, alleged that the suspected Fulani herdsmen blocked the Sokponba end of the Benin-Abraka by-pass way and started to rob people.

Henry, who alleged that the vigilante group had on three occasions arrested about six herdsmen for robbery and taken to Ogbekun police station, noted that during the Wednesday’s robbery incident, two of the suspects were arrested.

According to him, before they knew it, armed uniform men suspected to be soldiers suddenly stormed the scene of the incident, shot and killed, the victims who were asked to stay with two of the arrested suspects.

He said the soldiers, four in number and armed with AK 47 came with ash colored Honda car marked AP 641 KTN.

When contacted, the spokesperson of 4 Brigade of the Nigeria Army, Maidawa Mohammed, said troops deployed to Ologbo for pipeline protection received a tip off from local informant closed to their location of suspected armed robbery activities.

He said the troop mobilised to the scene, engaged the armed men at the scene but unfortunately one person who was later identified as member of the vigilante was killed.

“Preliminary investigation revealed that the vigilante group also responded to a distress call on the robbery operation. The vigilante started demonstration but the situation has been brought under control,” he added.

However, Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki who paid a condolence visit to David Okoniba family in Benin-City also inaugurated six-man panel of inquiry to unravel the immediate and remote causes of the incident.

The governor, who also set up N10 million education fund for the training of two children of the deceased promised that the state government would leave no stone unturned to ensure that the killers of the commercial taxi driver was brought to book.

He also promised that the state government would support in the burial of the deceased.

“I learnt that the deceased has two children. I have released N10 million fund to be used for their education, to reduce the pain of the absence of their father and ensure their education does not suffer much because of this incident.

“I also assured the family that government will support in the burial of the late David Okoniba and advised the family to take the wife of the deceased to the hospital for medical attention at government expense, as she was still traumatised by the incident.

Edo State Commissioner of Police, Johnson Kokumo also paid a condolence to the family of the driver.

The governor gave the term of reference of the panel of inquiry to include “determining the circumstances that led to the fatal clash between some mobile policemen and youths at Upper Igun area of Benin City; establish the number of persons who died or sustained injury during the clash; the culpability of any person or group responsible for the incident; make appropriate recommendation to government to avert similar incident in the future.”

Members of the panel are Justice Joseph O. Olubor, as chairman; Joseph Okpoloa (Rtd), former Deputy Commissioner of Police, Osagie Obayuwana, former commissioner of Justice and Attorney-General, Colonel David Imuse (Rtd) and Dupe Ojo.

“The panel will among other things, examine the circumstances that led to the fatal clash between some men of the Mobile Police and angry youths at Upper Igun area in Benin City, Edo State capital. It will establish the number of persons who died or sustained injuries during the clash and the culpability of any person or group in bearing responsibility for the incident,” he said.

While Edo State governor and the commissioner of Police had paid condolence visit to the family of late David Okoniba, he and the authorities of the Nigerian Army were yet to do the same to the family of Efe Igbinovia.

 

IDRIS UMAR MOMOH, BENIN