A Twitter user, @pa_melanin, has accused Ned Nwoko, a former member of the House of Representatives, of using his influence to cajole Abubakar Malami, the Attorney-General of the Federation, to illegally detain her father, Okey Ifejoku and nine other community leaders of Idumeje Ugboko village in Delta state for years over land issues.
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Ifejoku, who is the President-General of Idumeje Ugboko Development Union, was said to have been arrested by the Delta State Police Command purportedly on the order of Nwoko in 2017.
According to @pa_melanin in a video she published on Saturday, the former lawmaker had accused her father of sponsoring the indigenes of Aniocha North Local Government Area to protest against him and kick against his bid to forcefully acquire additional 90 hectares of land from an area earmarked for all indigenes of the community.
She accused Nwoko and the police of malicious destruction of property, disobedience to the order of the court, assault occasioning harm, abuse of public office, unlawful arrest, false imprisonment and conduct likely to cause a breach of peace.
She said: “Sometime in 2017, Ned Nwoko instigated a crisis in Idumuje Ugboko Community in Delta state, as a result of the community’s firm refusal to give him additional 90 hectares of land, having mismanaged the hectares earlier given to him.
“In the ensuing crisis, it was alleged that one Cyprian Kumaorun was killed. While this was ongoing, my father, Okey Ifejoku was several kilometres away in Asaba. He was neither present at the scene of the crisis nor participated in any alleged fight.
“However, since then, Ned Nwoko has made it a point of duty to terrorise the community until they fall on their knees and offer him the land on a platter.
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“By virtue of Mr. Okey Ifejoku’s (my father’s) position as the President of the Idumuje Ugboko Development Union, he has borne the greatest oppression from Ned Nwoko. Ned Nwoko has unlawfully used the instruments of state, particularly the Nigeria police in Delta State and Abuja, to oppress the helpless members of Idumuje-Ugboko Community.
“In 2017, Ned Nwoko prompted the police in Delta state to file a charge with the number: A/240C/2017, at the High Court of Delta State, against Ochei Nnamdi and Ofonye Ufoh, for the alleged murder of Cyprian Kumaorun. This charge was held on the merit and the defendants were acquitted.
“Not done, Ned Nwoko, once again, prompted the police to file a charge with the number: MI/24C/2020, at the magistrate’s court of Delta state, Isele-Uku, against his own king (Obi Chukwunonso Nwoko), Mr. Okey Ifejoku (my father) and four other innocent members of the community for the alleged murder of Cyprian Kumaorun. The charge was sent to the DPP (Director of Public Prosecutions) of Delta state, who advised that the defendants had no case to answer. On the basis of the DPP’s legal advice, the charge was struck out.”
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@pa_melanin claimed that following his failure to get his wish done, Nwoko went to Abuja and solicited the help of Malami’s office, which subsequently charged the defendants to court.
She wondered why the AGF became interested in a communal dispute in Idumuje, Delta State, despite the huge scale of security problems bedevilling the country.
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She said: “While this was going on, Ned Nwoko moved to Abuja and got officers of the FCID Abuja to arrest my father, Mr Okey Ifejoku and 9 other members of the Idumuje Ugboko community. The 10 defendants were arrested, detained at FCID for up to six months, before they were charged to court in two batches, by the office of the Attorney General of the Federation for alleged terrorism and alleged murder of Cyprian Kumaorun.
“One wonders how the Attorney General of the Federation got so interested in a communal dispute in Idumuje Ugboko, with all the actual terrorism and banditry going in the North-East and North-West of Nigeria. Additionally, how could a charge be filed in Abuja when all the ingredients of the alleged offence and all the defendants reside in Delta State?
“The first charge: FHC/CR/169/2020 was before Justice Taiwo Taiwo of the FHC and has been transferred to the FHC, Delta State. The Charge: FH/CR/11/2019 (Mr. Okey Ifejoku and 7 others) was assigned to Justice Abang of the Federal High Court. As at the time of writing this, 7 of the defendants have been granted bail, while the innocent youth Leader, Raymond Omosiete, has remained unjustly incarcerated first at FCID Abuja, and later at Nigerian Correctional Service, Suleja, since November 23, 2020. All on Ned Nwoko’s prompting.”
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@pa_melanin stated that her father has been granted bail by the Federal High Court but noted that he is still locked up in detention at the Delta State Police Command, Asaba.
She added that the police are yet to charge him to court despite spending a huge amount of time in their custody.
NED NWOKO YOU USED YOUR MONEY TO ILLEGALLY JAIL MY FATHER, DENY IT!!!
SOMEBODY PLEASE HELP US🙏🏾🙏🏾 #freeOkeyIfejoku #NedNwokoStoptheintimidation pic.twitter.com/X9b0VruGE0— PaMelanin (@pa_melanin) May 15, 2021
