Evwreni Crisis: My Brother’s Life Is In Danger, Akpuruekpo’s Sister Cries Out

The family of Omamuyovwi Akpuruekpo, one of those injured in the recentattack that led to the death of Mr Sylvester Adjogbe, a 34-year-old younger brother of immediate past Executive Director, Projects of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, Engr Sam Adjogbe at Evwreni community, Ughelli North local government area of Delta State has cried out that the life of their brother is in danger.

The younger sister of the victim, Miss Edijala Akpuruekpo told journalists that the life of his brother is no longer safe at the hospital where he was receiving treatment at Ughelli, following the visit of a former Delta lawmaker and his boys to the hospital twice on Thursday.

Akpuruekpo who sustained injuries following Wednesday, July 1 attack that left one dead in Evwreni community has been receiving treatment at an undisclosed hospital in Ughelli and he is said to be in stable condition according to the sister.

She disclosed that some of the boys who came with a former state lawmaker to the hospital, were allegedly part of those who attacked his brother on Wednesday and had come to finish what they started.

Edijala, while calling on the Delta State Commissioner of Police and other government agencies to come to their aid, said that they are poor and helpless, hence they are calling on the government to prevent the killing of their brother.

According to her, “those who attacked my brother were led by a former lawmaker to the hospital twice today, in one of his visits he was pointing to my brother who was then lying on the bed.

“We fear for our brother’s life because we don’t know their intention and considering the antecedents of these people who do not have regard for human life, we know their visit is of no good; my brother’s life is no longer safe, they have come to finish what they started since they could not kill him during the attack in Evwreni.

“We are calling on the State Commissioner of Police, the Ughelli Area Commander and the DPO, A Division Ughelli to step up their game and ensure that our brother is not killed and should anything happen to our brother, the former lawmaker should be held responsible,” she added.

She also called on the Police authority to transfer his brother and the case to Asaba as his safety can longer be guaranteed at Ughelli.

Edijala decried the inability of the Police to effect any arrest of suspects a day after the incident that led to the death of a young man and many others injured, “the Police at Ughelli seems helpless and overwhelmed by the Evwreni crisis, as we speak no arrest has been made, even though the suspects are known, those who attacked my brother and others are boasting at Evwreni.”

A Police source who spoke to us in confidence said, that the Police has left instruction that at the hospital that no one should be allowed to see the injured young man and that the Police is not aware that the former lawmaker visited the hospital.

On why the case has not been transferred to Asaba, he said that they are looking at the condition of the injured young man, Omamuyovwi Akpuruekpo, saying that as soon as his condition is stable, he would be transferred to Asaba.

According to the source, “the boy was admitted to the hospital, he is our suspect, we have stopped people from seeing him and it’s not to the knowledge of the police that Mariere visited the hospital, we are also looking at the young man’s condition, if he is well enough, we will transfer him to Asaba, if that is what they want.”

Recall that trouble started at Evwerni on Wednesday afternoon after a failed attempt by the Police to arrest one suspect fingered in the June 20 attempted assassination of Engr Samuel Adjogbe along the East/West road close to the community.

It was gathered that crisis started after youths from the community allegedly mobilized by the monarch, prevented the Police from arresting the suspect.

“The person killed is Sylvester Adjogbe. 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.

“The traditional ruler of the community ordered the local vigilante 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”, a community member narrated to journalists.