AN OPEN LETTER TO GOVERNOR OKOWA OF DELTA STATE

AN OPEN LETTER TO GOVERNOR OKOWA 

YOUR ASSAULT ON MEMBERS OF URHOBO DEVT AND UNITY FORUM (UDUF) IS A DECLARATION OF WAR ON URHOBO NATION.

We write you this letter with so much pain and total disappointment having  realised how our dear state manage to degenerate to this level of hooliganism and cruelty at a time when we were suppose to be basking in euphoria of our emerging democracy.


We actually do not know how this letter will get to you but we believe that somehow one of your aides who knows his job will find a way of sending it across.

We are members of Urhobo Development and Unity Forum (UDUF), a group that is determined and duly registered to champion the course of our people by the Corporate Affairs Commission, CAC.

This is the first letter we are writing to you as a group but most unfortunately, it is not a very good one.

You will recall that, in recent time Fulani herdsmen have been terrorising Deltans without you taking a pro active step to nip it in the bud.

You are aware there have been a lot of killings, rape and blood shed orchestrated by this group of people in Delta state, especially in Delta Central where I come from. In case you don't know, there have been killings in Ohorhe, Mosoga, Djesse and of lately Abraka, where indigenes and students of the Delta State University were massacred without you condemning it or, paying a visit to these communities over the years.

I am glad you immediately swung into action and visited Ossissa community 24 hrs after a similar massacre took place, with top government functionaries and security chiefs to map out strategies on how best to curtail the excesses of the rampaging herdsmen, though many Deltans accused you of tactically supporting them by claiming you have entered a secret deal with them, to use them  in perpetuating the most devastating electoral violence that will make that of River state, a child's play in the forthcoming gubernatorial election.

We however did not believe them. Sir, you were also accused of paying deaf ears to the cries of other ethnic nationalities that have suffered in the hands of this Fulani herdsmen over the years and only took that of Ossisa seriously because, they are your kinsmen.

In any case, we have always given you the benefit of doubt.

Your Excellency sir, a lot of people looked at you as a tribal bigot who care less and hate other ethnic nationality in the state with passion, we equally refused to believe until we became victims of your hatred for the Urhobo nation at Asaba (today 16th May 2017).

How do we tell Deltans that we were attacked and prevented from protesting against Fulani herdsmen who have left only sorrow, tears and blood in our land?

Your Excellency sir,  we wish to inform you that, in our desire to raise awareness on the plight of our people, we wrote a letter to relevant security agencies that we shall be having a peaceful protest in Asaba, the state capital which was well acknowledged by relevant security agencies and even the Commissioner of Police detailed a team of policemen to cover the protest.

On getting to Asaba, we alighted from our buses, called the police and was already singing solidarity song at inter bau junction awaiting the arrival of the police when some thugs brandishing dangerous weapon driving on government hiluxes, came down and descended on us, not minding the very big poster that suggest we are from the Urhobo ethnic nationality.

Though, some of them looks like Fulani herdsmen but majority of them are your kinsmen and the only thing we heard them shouting is; "Aye axemen kill this Urhobo people". What ever that means is a subject for another day.

We later realised that the hoodlums led by one Chika Ossai is a member one of the killers squad allegedly maintained by one of your close Aide Hilary Ogbulem.

May we also remind you that phones,wristwatches and unspecified sum of money got missing during this fracas.

Permit me to also bring to your notice that, the Urhobo nation in their magnanimity, are architect of the reason why you were able to emerge as Governor today and, for you to order your boys to so humiliate them just because they choose to seek a peaceful way to bring an end to the menace of herdsmen in the state, leave much to be desired in the conspiratorial theory being propagated from many quarters about your relationship with the Fulani herdsmen.

In any case, a lot of our people were injured including Dr. Harrison Adja who is currently receiving treatment in an undisclosed hospital after we met with the Commissioner of Police and took a police extract to enable him receive treatment. One of our members, Ejiro Agidi has also not been found as I am writing this letter to you. Be rest assured that the Urhobos are not your slaves and we are never cowards.

We hope you will hear from us as soon as possible.

God bless Delta state.

Written by:
Sanco Ese Darlington
President General
Urhobo Development and Unity Forum