From Ameachi Prosper (The New Diplomat’s Delta State Correspondent)
The protracted crisis between two Nigerian billionaires and kinsmen: Prince Ned Nwoko and Dr Gabriel Ogbechie gets messier as the police in Abuja invited the latter for questioning over the weekend.
Credible source hinted that a 90 hectares of land purportedly allocated to Nwoko to build a Sports University is at the heart of the crisis, raising serious dust within the Idumuje-Ugboko community where both Ogbechie and Nwoko hail from.
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Another source alleges that Ogbechie, an oil magnate is also eyeing the land in question to build a tank farm for his business operations.
But another community elder counters, saying Dr Ogbechie is too gentle and business minded to be dabbling into detracted issues with Ned Nwoko.
The community elder hinted that the issues in contention centre around the good and the ugly as far as the people of Idumuje-Ugboko community are concerned.
He said: ” Dr Ogbechie has done so much for us a community. He supports and helps the community. And mind you he is not a politician. He has no interest in politics and his focus is on his business but what has happened is that some persons have politicized the whole issues and they sponsor the media to try to mislead the public into wrongly believing that Dr Ogbechie has not been helping the community. Go to the community and find out things. Gabriel is a gentleman who has helped the community so much without expecting anything in return. But one camp is getting access to the press to try to muddle up the issues.”
However, another community player has another view. “The oil magnet is also nursing the ambition of building a tank farm within the community so when they both(Ned Nowko and Gabriel Ogbechie) separately acquired land for the University and tank farm what will be left for the community?”, the source queried.
It would be recalled that two protesting groups in support and against the 90 hectares of -land earmarked for the ongoing Sports University stormed the gate of government house, Asaba Delta State recently.
The protesters, who marched to Delta state government house in separate arcades displayed placards with different inscriptions to show their grievances both against and in support of the university project respectively.
While some are aggrieved over the way and manner which Nwoko allegedly acquired over 90 hectares of land for the said institution and sought justice to redress the situation, the other insisted that the land was genuinely acquired with the certificate of occupancy and a valid MoU reached with the community and endorsed by the late monarch.
However, commenting on the issue of police invitation, Ogbechie said: “I pointed out to the police that I have absolutely no idea of the allegation against me.
“Ned Nwoko and Regina Daniels are in the best position to explain the relationship between Regina Daniels and a prisoner in Kuje prisons.
“I wonder what relationship Regina Daniels has with a supposedly random prisoner to the extent of exchanging phone calls and WhatsApp messages.
“Besides, the random prisoner who is apparently an acquaintance of Ned Nwoko family only alleged that he heard them mention an oil magnate.
“Therefore, the assertion that the oil magnate is ‘Chief Gabriel Ogbechie’ is entirely that of Ned Nwoko. I left the police station within an hour of my arrival.”
He explained further: “And I had barely arrived my house in Abuja when the WhatsApp message went out that I had been arrested.
‘‘It was obviously prepared even before my decision to honor the police invitation, all in a bid to embarrass and tarnish my reputation.”
Meanwhile, findings also showed many young men in the village were locked up in various police cells on one allegation or another.
The Police in Abuja had allegedly invited the Chief Executive Officer, CEO of Rainoil, Dr. Gabriel Ogbochie over some issues surrounding alleged assassination plot against, Prince Ned Nwoko.
It was gathered that he honoured the police invitation at 5pm last Thursday and was told to go home. But shortly after his departure, the whole digital media community was abuzz with narratives that Ogbechie, CEO of RAINOIL has been arrested by the police.
To close watchers of unfolding events, this fueled speculations that there might have been a high-wire political intrigues at the intersection of media dynamics at play.
Dr. Ogbochie like Nwoko hails from Idumuje-Ugboko in Aniocha North LGA, of Delta State.
It was learnt that Dr Ogbechie and the Prince Nwoko reportedly parted ways over the kingship tussle in the Nwoko Royal family.
While Gbariel Ogbechie is regarded as an illustrious businessman with great finesse, Ned Nwoko is perceived as a politician with deep pocket.
It was equally learnt that the dispute between both prominent sons of Idumuje-Ugboko , who ordinarily should work together to pursue noble community initiatives, allegedly led to mayhem in the community between May 18 and 25, 2017.
This led to mass arrest by the police who slammed terrorism charge among other charges on the suspects at the Federal High Court, Abuja.
Many people in the community who spoke with The New Diplomat enjoined players in the unfolding drama to desist from politicizing the issues by avoiding dragging people who are apolitical like Ogbechie into the crisis over kingship tussle in Idumuje-Ugboko community.
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