REJOINDER: THAT A THIRD KING WILL NOT BE KILLED IN EVWRENI KINGDOM

Our attention has been drawn to a grossly misleading advertorial in the Daily Independent newspaper of Thursday 30^th July 2020. The publication which appeared at page 4 was a deliberate attempt to not only mislead the public officers to whom it was addressed and the general public but to also divert attention from the nitty-gritty of the crisis presently rocking the great Evwreni Kingdom, the beautiful heritage which our forefathers founded and handed over to us.

This rejoinder is aimed at depicting the falsehood on which that publication was based and to also put the crisis in Evwreni in the correct perspective. The first falsehood is the alarming claim of not killing “a third king” as if two kings had been killed in Evwreni before now. The advertorial was authored by K.K. Kumane who is an uncle to the King of Evwreni. K. K. Kumane has in the advertorial confirmed that he is a dangerous uncle bent on misleading the young King to destroy the community instead of providing him wise counsel. Right now, Kumane and his cohorts have teamed up with the King to unleash a reign of terror on the kingdom.

1. K. Kumane embarked on a rigmarole tracing the origin of the present crisis to a case that had been rested by the Supreme Court of Nigeria. The truth be told, the genesis of the crisis is traceable to the intention of the present King, his uncle K. K. Kumane and a lawyer and former lawmaker in the Delta State House of Assembly to hijack the Evwreni Vigilante Group and turn it into an attack organization to foist a reign of terror on the community, especially on those who refused to support their evil and oppressive deeds. The constitution of Evwreni Clan Improvement Union confers the right to set up a Vigilante (Security) Group on the National Executive Committee and not the King. However, the King subverted the laid down procedure in order to hijack the Vigilante Group and convert it into his personal army to unleash terror on the community.

Kumane also refutes the assassination attempt on the life of a prominent Evwreni indigene on 20^th June 2020 between Evwreni and Ogor along the East-West Road and ascribed it to herdsmen attack. How did he come to that conclusion when it was apparent that the other attacks referred to were orchestrated by his cohorts to look convincing? Everybody in Evwreni knows what is going on which is the King’s intention to violently rule over the community.

Examples of such acts of violence abound in the killing of indigenes by the King’s Vigilante Group. The murder of Omoghene Akakor on the 22^nd of March, 2020 and his subsequent burial in an undisclosed location has put the community in fear. That was followed by the murder of Sylvester Adjogbe on 1^st July 2020 also by the same King’s Vigilante Group carrying out his (the King’s) order. Another young man was also shot at and narrowly escaped death. The issue of funding the Vigilante group by providing vehicles and welfare should be addressed: that no one is against the kingdom having vigilante group that is legally installed and recognized by the government. That Evwreni Vigilante has always received the support of leaders of Evwreni by way of provision of vehicles and/or welfare. Therefore, it makes sense for Evwreni leaders to withdraw such support when at the end of the tenure of the current Vigilante, they refused to be replaced and the king converted them to a private army that has now been used to kill two Indigenes between March and July 2020.

When policemen from Asaba arrived at Evwreni to arrest the second prime suspect in the assassination attempt, the King prevented the arrest and allowed the suspect to flee. Why would a supposedly law-abiding King stop policemen from carrying out their lawful duty? The truth of it all is that the King is fostering anarchy in Evwreni and killing his subjects in the process.

For the avoidance of doubt, there is no contention against the King to the ridiculous extent of anybody plotting against him as alleged in that publication. The King is the King! What is amiss is the King’s subversion of the constitution of Evwreni Clan Improvement Union and his repression of truth.

We should also point out more lies and inaccuracies in the publication under reference. The election that brought in the Bright Adjogbe-led Executive committee took place on Saturday 26^th October 2019 and not on 22^nd October 2019 as alleged in that publication. Again, the Executive committee took over on the 1^st of December, 2019 and not 2^nd November, 2019 as Kumane claimed. Evidently, this is like creating another avenue for a potential future crisis by misleading and hoodwinking people to believe and act on falsehood.

We have attempted to put the events in the right perspectives. Evwreni people know these. The general public should not be deceived. No matter how far a lie travels the truth will catch up with it in just a second. The right things should be done and they should let Evwreni return to the path of peace. The killers of Omoghene Akakor and Sylvester Adjogbe, including their conspirators and masterminds should be brought to book by the relevant authorities, without further delay.

Long live Our Great Evwreni Kingdom!!!

 

 

Alhaji Mumakai Unagha

(For & On-behalf of Concerned Evwreni Indigenes)

CC:

His Excellency, President Muhammadu Buhari,

President and Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

 

His Excellency, Senator Dr. Ifeanyi Arthur Okowa,

Governor of Delta State.

 

The Inspector-General of Police.

The Commissioner of Police Delta State.

To all men and women of good conscience.