By Frank Oshanugor
The General Overseer of Christ Leads The Way Church; a Pentecostal ministry at Ogwashi-Uku, Delta State; Pastor Victor Ikechukwu Okelue has called on police authorities to bring to justice some indigenes of the town who have stood against re-opening of his church after the Odogwu Chieftaincy crisis of 2021.
Speaking with AtlanticNewsonline in an exclusive telephone interview on Monday, Okelue decried the attitude of some police officers in Ogwashi-Uku who allegedly in collaboration with a serving Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) at the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Command, Abuja; Chike Nwabuwa have made it difficult for him to get justice.
According to him, his problem started sometime in 2021when some Ogwashi-Uku young men came to attack him reportedIy on the excuse that he was supporting Chief Gabriel Ohai who was bestowed with the Odogwu Chieftaincy title by the Ogwashi-Uku monarch Obi Ifechukwude Aninshi Okonjo.
Narrating his painful experience, the General Overseer said he was in his house at Ogbe-Odogwu in the night of 21st May, 2021 between the hours of 10 and 11 o’clock when a group of young men stormed his residence. When he heard their voices discussing on how to destroy his property and possibly set it ablaze, he was able to discern that something dangerous was in the offing.
“I heard the voice of people clustering around my residence. I peeped through the window and could see and recognize many faces like Anthony Ubaka, Iweanya Obata, Azuka Obata, Ogom Ubaka, Destiny Osamor and others. They were saying among themselves that since they have the backing of ACP Nwabuwa and Hyacinth Ohai, an estranged elder brother to Odogwu Gabriel Ohai, they could destroy my property and nothing would happen.”
The Pastor stated further that when the gang started vandalising his solar energy facilities, his car and other things, it dawned on him that they could take his life. He miraculously escaped unhurt and ran to Odogwu’s residence to take refuge.
The next morning, he was at the Ogwashi-Uku police station to lodge a report of the incident, though the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) was not on seat. “After the matter was incidented, one of the officers had advised that I should wait to see the DPO. I did but he did not come back to office that day.”
A few days later Pastor Okelue was back at the station to see the DPO to ascertain what action had been taken. It was during the visit that the DPO told him that no fewer than three persons have come separately to him with the message that ACP Nwabuwa would call him. Such persons included Messrs Ugo Emordi, Anthony Nwadiuba and Emmanuel Egbe Okelue who told the DPO that ACP Nwabuwa had directed
that he should stay action on the matter.
The ACP Nwabuwa subsequently put a call across to the DPO while Pastor Okelue was at the station. During the relatively long discussion ACP was having with the DPO, he the DPO asked the pastor to excuse them and to come back some minutes later.
When he returned to the office, the DPO subsequently handed the handset to him only for him (Pastor) to discover that the person at the other end was ACP Nwabuwa. After paying compliments, the ACP was said to have asked him why he came to the police station. He explained that he came to report the incident of attack on his residence by some young men.
According to the pastor “the ACP said if I had known, I should have called him and not resorting to going to police station. I told him that I did not have his phone number, moreso; police station is safer place to report such incident.”
“The ACP later told me that the boys were after me for supporting Chief Gabriel Ohai on the Odogwu Chieftaincy issue. He added that he was advising me to withdraw from supporting Chief Gabriel, vowing that he would not be alive to see Gabriel reign as the Odogwu of Ogwashi-Uku.”
“I told him that if he had problem with the Odogwu Chieftaincy he should seek redress from the King who conferred the title on Gabriel and who equally conferred the title of Odafe on him (ACP Nwabuwa). In addition, I told him that I have the constitutional right to freely associate with whoever I choose, have freedom of speech and freedom of movement.”
AtlanticNewsonline however gathered that the Odafe title conferred on ACP Chike has been rejected by some of his brothers from Isiokwe Quarters and they have taken him to court over the title. The step typifies civility unlike the brigandary brought to bear on the Odogwu title by the opposing camp.
Pastor Okelue in his narration said that “At some point, I told the ACP that it has become evident that he was truly behind the group of young men who came to attack me at my residence. He was surprised to hear this, and persuaded me to mention names but I refused insisting that I can only do so, if he convenes a stakeholders meeting at Ogwashi-Uku where I would be free to identify the gang members.”
On June 24, 2021 Pastor Okelue was attacked at the residence of Odogwu Gabriel Ohai by the gang of young men who were trying to resist arrest by the police over the killing of a 70-year-old man who allegedly supported Gabriel’s Odogwu title. In the process, Pastor Okelue was badly injured while Gabriel’s cars, building, chickens, goats, pigs etc were all burnt.
The General Overseer had to relocate to Lagos for treatment that lasted months in the hospital. While undergoing treatment, his church was under lock and key as the “killer” gang prevented services from holding till present. Efforts to retrieve his personal car from scene of crime through a mechanic and a friend of his proved abortive as the gang members resisted the effort until last week Wednesday when some police men from Asaba came to move out the vehicle.
Since the perpetrators of the heinous act of vandalism and killing in connection with Odogwu Chieftaincy title, without any one arrested, Pastor Okelue has appealed to the Inspector General of Police to intervene by deeply investigating the role played by ACP Chike Nwabuwa who is allegedly interfering with police investigation and compounding felony and precipitating pervasion of Justice.