Yekini Jimoh in Lokoja
Following incessant invasion, arrests and killing of Ette Community in Olamaboro Local Government Area of Kogi State, by Enugu State machinery, the traditional ruler of the community Chief John Akor has sent a Save Our Souls (SOS) message to the Federal and Kogi State Government on the situation.
The traditional ruler who disclosed this in a statement made available to THISDAY in Lokoja yesterday said the call had become necessary in view of the wanton loss of lives, arrest of his people and the sack of his people from their ancestral home.
According to him, the invasion of the community over the past five years by the neighbouring Enugu State had not been given adequate security attention and had therefore continued to escalate.
“Only on Monday 11th, September, one of my subjects, Austine Ankeli has been shot and carried away to Enugu Ezike without attention, sensing complicity by the security operatives,” he stated,
He added that the lingering invasion degenerated May 5, 2014, when the youth leader, Friday Ekoh, was taken away and even when he was set free by a conventional court of competent jurisdiction, unconditionally, he is still languishing in Enugu prison, his people were sacked from their land and became refugees in neighbouring communities.
The royal father therefore called on the federal government, the Human Commission, Amnesty International, security agencies, Kogi State government and Non Governmental Organisations (NGOs) to help address the situation.
“We are still receiving threatening messages from the warring neighbouring villages.
“We are law ‎abiding people who will not want to take laws into our hands, that informs why I have made it compulsory to call on relevant authorities to intervene”, Akor stated.
