The age-long amity among the indigenes of the small community of Iviukwe, Etsako East Local Government Area of Edo State has turned into enmity over the disbursement of N130 million compensation paid by business mogul, Alhaji Aliko Dangote for the citing of a multi bullion naira fertilizer company in the town.
Human rights lawyer, Chief Mike Ozekhome (SAN), an indigene of the farming community is being accused of conniving with the traditional ruler, His Royal Majesty George Oshiapi, the Okumagbe of Uwano to shortchange the people.
In fact, six people were arrested by the police last weekend for allegedly kicking against the sharing of the money in 2013.
The source of the discord is the acquisition of 5,000 hectares of ancestral farmlands in the community for the fertilizer company by the business mogul for which he paid the said amount as compensation.
The community spokesman, Comrade Okpame Ozekhome, a kinsman of the legal luminary pointedly accused the police of arresting the locals which included the community chairman, Chief Adolphus Ozekhome over trumped-up charges of inciting violence in the agrarian community.
He disclosed that the detainees included Chief Francis Ozekhome, the elder brother of the prominent human rights lawyer; his two children, and two other persons who he insisted were seriously brutalized by the law enforcement agents during the arrest.
According to the spokesman, other claims by the police that the detainees resisted arrest and destroyed houses of some prominent chiefs and their opponents were also false allegations.
Ozekhome said that only a paltry sum of money was given to his people who actually owned the land but they rejected the money while the lawyer and the traditional ruler pocketed over a hundred million naira.
He called on the Edo State Commissioner of Police, Alhaji Ari Mohammed Ali to effect the immediate release of the detainees who have been in the police cell since Saturday, May, 21.
Ozekhome said: “It has become critical that we call on the authorities to quickly come to our aid and save us from our oppressors. Although this has been a regular experience, the last one has been especially excruciating for us as a people. It has been a week-long of sporadic shootings, general arrests and detention of innocent people in our community.”
The human rights lawyer however vehemently denied having a hand in the mayhem, adding that the culprits were out to destroy his reputation despite everything he has done for them, stressing that the controversial land is still owned by the same indigenes who are currently farming on it after Dangote left due to the controversy.
He said: “Nothing like that ever happened. Dangote only paid the villagers for the destroyed economic trees when they did preliminary excavator works on a part of Iviukwe lands on a proposed fertilizer project before they suddenly abandoned it and packed their machines and left for Ondo State where they commenced fresh works.”
Speaking in the same vein, the monarch denied the allegations, noting that he has nothing to do with those arrested.
Speaking on his mobile phone, the Edo State Police spokesman, Mr. Kontongs Bello said that the suspects were picked as a result of the attack on the police who were on-the-spot assessment following a petition by a member of the community over the destruction of property.
