Ex-NDDC ED Adjogbe’s Family Petitions IGP Over Alleged Murder Of Relative

The family of a former Executive Director of the Nigerian Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Engr. Samuel Adogbe, has petitioned the Inspector General of Police, the Delta Police Commissioner over alleged killing of one of their relative.

The victim, a 34-year-old Sylvester Adjogbe was allegedly killed on the order of the community monarch, King, HRM Oghenekevwe Kumane on Wednesday, July 1, 2020, the Petitioners wrote.

The petitioners are asking the police hierarchy to unravel the circumstances surrounding the untimely death of two young men in the last four months in the community.

The police are also urged to investigate the failed assassination attempts on Ex-NDDC ED, as well as incidents that led to the destruction of properties and displacement of many families.

The Ajogbe family is of Evwreni community, Ughelli North local government area of Delta State.

Addressing newsmen, the family also called on Delta State Governor, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa to take urgent steps to arrest the drifting security situation in Evwreni Kingdom.

The petition reads in full: “It would be recalled that on March 22nd, 2020, Okakor Omoghene was allegedly killed without provocation by the Bakassi boys (Vigilante) backed by the monarch and up till now, the body of the deceased is yet to be found and police failed to investigate and bring those behind it to book, even when the identity of the killer is known to them.

Recall that following the disbandment of the local security outfit (Bakassi) President-General, Evwreni Clan Improvement Union, Mr Bright Adjogbe, Bakassi acting on the order of the monarch shot two persons; one Mr Marcus Uba and a little girl, Miss Esther Kowfigho, while the house of Mr Matthew Uba was vandalized, the case was reported at the A-Division of Ughelli police headquarters, till date nobody was arrested or interrogated or prosecuted.

Emboldened by the lack of the police to act, on June 20, 2020 immediate past Executive Director, Projects of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, Engr Sam Adjogbe, escaped assassination attempted along the East/West road close to the community, no arrested have been made so far even when he petitioned the police authority, those behind it are walking freely at Evwerni, while the police look away.

Not done with their evil agenda to eliminate every member of our family they could lay their hands on, HRM Oghenekevwe Kumane mobilized some youths from the community and his Bakassi boys to prevented police officers from State Criminal Investigation Department, Asaba, led by one John Agbajie, from arresting the suspect, one Atiri Stephen involved in assassination attempted of Engr Samuel Adjogbe.

That after successfully preventing the arrest of the suspected who as allegedly pre-informed of the CP team coming to arrest him by some officers in A-Division at Ughelli, Bakassi boys (Vigilante) acting on the order of the monarch started shooting sporadically, they later move to our family house at Evwerni where they met our younger brother, Mr. Sylvester Adjogbe, a 34-year-old man and he was shot dead by one Kelly Omojugheri while many others sustained various degrees of injuries.

One week after the gruesome murder of the 34 year-old Sylvester Adjogbe at our family compound in Evwerni, the police like other previous killings in the community, has not made any arrest, rather they have turned their fang on a witness, Omamuyovwi Akpuruekpo, one of those injured in the attack that led to the death of Mr Sylvester Adjogbe’s death and he is currently been harassed and intimidated by some officers from Police A-Division, Ughelli, who had recovered a locally mad gun from the monarch of Evwerni Kingdom, HRM Oghenekevwe Kumane, few hours after the murder of Sylvester and want to force him to lie that the gun was found with the late victim.

According to the “police incident report dated 01/07/2020, it stated that men from SCID Asaba led by ASP John Agbajie arrived Evwreni community on investigation and the team was assisted by a patrol team from Police A-Division, Ughelli, but on arrival at the community, the team could not locate their suspect, however, they were confronted by a protest on their way out of the community.

“Immediately the team left the community I received a distress call from the vigilante Chairman Evwreni that there is a clash in his community and immediately eye dispatched two teams mine and two teams from Safe Delta upon arrival of the police teams, the king of Evwreni handed over a locally made gun and a suspect with multiple injury to the head.”

The report added that it later received information that one Sylvester a younger brother to Engr Adjogbe was killed during the clash, adding that “while recording statement of the suspect handed over by the king, one Omamus Akporuekpo ^m^ x he made a confessional statement that x he collected the locally made gun from the deceased at the scene before the community arrested him.”

The Police in A-Division are been economical with the truth, if the police from A-Division in Ughelli is alleging that the locally made gun which was handed over to them by the king, HRM Oghenekevwe Kumane belong to the deceased, was the deceased aware of the impending attack on him and he failed to run or defend himself, let accept without conceding that he had a gun, would he not have shot at least one person in self defense, who killed my brother, or did him shot himself?

We are calling of the Inspector General of Police and Commissioner of Police CP, Delta State Police Command, Mr Hafiz Mohammed Inuwa and the Governor of Delta State Senator Ifeanyi Okowa to investigate the circumstance leading to the murder of my younger brother who is in his prime on the order of the king and bring the perpetuator to book, anything short of this is injustice.

We are not sure of getting justice from the police in A-Division at Ughelli, because they are more like an interested party in this case and the crisis at Evwreni. Is the police saying that they are not aware that our brother was shot dead by one Kelly Omojugheri on the order of the king, who instructed him to shot him because he is one of Adjogbe’s son?

Now the police in A-Division, Ughelli are coming up with a phony narrative that the young man who was attacked by the same people who killed our brother, who sister Edijala Akpuruekpo who recently cried out that his brother’s life is in danger following a visit to the hospital where he was receiving treatment by a former lawmaker, is the one that handed over the gun to the king, and they world to believe that?

Why is it difficult for the police to be unbiased in this matter, does the monarch of a kingdom in Delta State have immunity from arrest for criminal and felony offence, if the monarch does not enjoin such immunity from the law why is the police incapable of doing their job, if they have done the needful when the previous attacks were reported by arresting the mastermind and prosecuting them to serve as deterrent, our brother’s life would not have been take away in such a brazen manner.

Since the police is quick the spinout this narrative to shield the real culprit who are the mastermind of the attempted assassination of Engr Samuel Adjogbe on June 20th, 2020 and the murder of Sylvester by blaming a soft target, the police should do well to produce the killer of our brother and ensure that justice is serve”.

The petition was signed by Dr Lucky Adjogbe on behalf of the Adjobe’s Family.