Ex- NDDC Executive Director, Adjogbe’s brother killed in a renewed crisis in Delta community

By Akpos Oghenetega,

The leadership crisis rocking Evwreni community, Ughelli North local government area of Delta State, yesterday took a new turn, as a 34-year-old younger brother of immediate past Executive Director, Projects of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, Engr Sam Adjogbe was murdered, while many others sustained various degrees of injuries.

Advocate gathered that trouble started after a failed attempt by the police to arrest one suspect fingered in the June 20 attempted assassination of Engr Adjogbe along the East/West road close to the community.

Though there were conflicting details as at press time on what triggers up the crisis, sources from the community disclosed that one person was killed after youths from the community prevented the police from arresting the suspect.

The source who spoke on condition of anonymity, said: “One person was killed while several others sustained various degrees of machete cuts after they were attacked by some persons who are suspected to be members of the local vigilante in the community.

“The person killed is Sylvester Adjogbe and men from the State Criminal Investigation Department, Asaba, led by one John Agbajie, had visited the community to arrest one Atiri Stephen following a petition by the ex-NDDC director but were resisted by youths from the community.

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“The traditional ruler of the community, HRM Oghenekevwe Kumane ordered the local vigilant and some of his loyalists to attack any relatives of Engr Samuel Adjogbe after the police had been stopped from effecting the arrest, an incident that led to the death of Sylvester Adjogbe who was killed at his father’s house.”

Attempts to speak with the State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Onome Onowakpoyeya, was unsuccessful as at the time of going to press.

Recall that similar crisis led the killing of the father of the present monarch in the community, and the renew crisis has at the last count claimed about three lives, with many displaced and properties worth millions destroyed.

Efforts by the police authority in Delta State to stem the crisis have failed to yield the desired result, there are allegations that some senior police officers in Ughelli Area Command are allegedly siding with one of the parties to the crisis, hence no arrest has been made.

Advocate also gathered, that each time the Ughelli Police Area Commander, ACP Lawan Shinkafi attempted to arrest the perpetrators of criminal activities in the community, a top police officer in the Command always pre-inform the suspects about the police move, hence they have been emboldened to resist arrest.