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Protesters issue government seven-day ultimatum to arrest education commissioner, others
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Hundreds of protesters on Wednesday shut down Otovwodo community in Ughelli North Local Government Area of Delta State to protest the alleged death of their son, Unity Adeda Ekwevbughe, a deputy director in the state Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education, Asaba.
The protesters, who barricaded the ever-busy East-West Road, causing heavy gridlock on the highway, were demanding justice over the death of Adeda, who hailed from the community.
They gave the state government a seven-day ultimatum to act, rejecting the panel of inquiry constituted by the state government without any family and community members.
The community held that the death of Adeda should not be swept under the rug with a one-sided panel of inquiry.
Displaying placards with inscriptions such as ‘Justice for Adeda’, ‘We are peaceful people; all we want is justice’ and ‘A killer cannot be a Commissioner’, the community said all they want is for the state government to bring their son back alive.
Speaking, President-General of the Otovwodo community, Prince Elvis Oharisi, said: “The Governor should relieve the Commissioner and Director of their duties and they should be made to face the wrath of the law.”
He said Adeda was subjected to violence involving the Commissioner for Secondary Education, the Director, a police officer and others.
He alleged that the trio should be blamed for the death.
According to him: “This is not just about Otovwodo, Unity is from here, and that is why it is painful to us mostly, but it affects the entire kingdom.”
“The community is in grief, and we are calling for justice, and we are telling the government of Governor Sheriff Oborevwori to bring our son and his life back to us in the community.
“We are giving the government seven days to bring our son back to us. You cannot treat a human being the way he was treated.”
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The community leader called on the government to ensure that anyone arrested in connection with the incident was not released until justice was served.
He warned that the community would not accept any attempt to release suspects without due process and accountability.
On the committee recently constituted by the state government to investigate the incident, he held that neither the community nor the bereaved family was represented, and as such, the community has no iota of trust in it.
“The community was not represented in that committee. The family was never represented. So, we have no iota of trust in that committee,” he said.
“Our demand is not merely because Adeda was an indigene of Otovwodo, but because the incident had implications for the wider kingdom.
“And if the government fails to meet the demands, we will shut down the whole place. The whole place will be shut down,” he declared.
Also, the Otovwodo community youth leader, Mr Umudi Ohwofasa, said: “The death of our brother, father, husband and breadwinner is devastating, and we will not accept anything but justice.”
He said: “We want the government to bring out those who are responsible, and if this issue is not properly handled, we will not accept it.”
Mrs Julie Adeda, who also spoke, said: “My brother-in-law was a very peaceful and lovely man who was the breadwinner of his family that we were looking up to.
“We want the government to track and arrest those who are involved and allow the law to prevail.”
Others who spoke during the protest, Tobi Onajite and Mama Regina, said their relative was apparently killed like a fowl or goat. “We are all in pain right now; we cannot allow them to be killing us. Enough is enough.”
