Louis Ibah
The traditional ruler of Umukwata Kingdom in Ukwuani Local Government Area of Delta State, Friday Abaja, has decried the six months suspension slammed on him by the state government.
Delta State government on April 2, 2019, handed him a six-month suspension with immediate effect for alleged “acts inimical to peace, order and good governance.”
Abaja told newsmen in Lagos: “For a man that makes peace to be labelled a trouble shooter, I cannot understand the whole episode because I have committed no offence inimical to the peace of the community.”
Abaja said the government had failed to act fairly by giving him the opportunity to state his own side of the story on the genesis of the crisis in his community. He, therefore, urged the state government to properly investigate what happened so that the truth shall prevail at the end of the day.
He said: “There was crisis involving two communities of Amai and Ezhionum in 2007, which led to the death of 27 people. It was an age-long war over boundary polemics. The various communities tried to make peace to no avail.
“The state government did nothing until I braced it up and went in to intervene and they gave me listening ears. I then promised to rebuild all the damaged houses within three months to end the crisis, and that if within three months I was unable to fulfill my promise, they should not believe me again.”
“So, within three months, I rebuilt all the houses razed down during the crisis and renovated the damaged ones.”
Abaja, who faulted his suspension, appealed to his subjects to be calm as justice will prevail and he will be vindicated.
“I have been bringing peace to different warring communities in Ukwuani LGA. The widow of the victim of the Umuaja/Obi Obeti war is on my pay roll till date and I promised to be paying her till God takes my life.
“I saw all these things I was doing as my civic responsibility to make peace. So, I was surprised when I was told that my suspension was due to ‘acts inimical to peace, order and good governance’.
“Instead of appreciating my efforts and concern, government is branding me with the stamp of abnormal ugliness. It is demeaning and ridiculous. No tyranny of circumstances can permanently imprison a determined will.
“I hereby urge all my citizens to be calm. Nobody is above the law. We are working hard to see how the government will resolve the issue. We will do all it takes to cooperate with government to conclude its investigations. I also urge the government to properly investigate what happened and what led to the allegations so that the truth shall prevail at the end of the day,” he added.