EPA and the Security of Ebira land

By Dr. Abdulrahman Adeiza

Let me first express my fraternal greetings to our great sons and daughters. I am delighted to, on behalf of E.P.A. give an extract on the organization’s attempt at mediating and resolving some of the debilitating security issues of our land.

These efforts have been all involving and not limited to the executives of the body as we are just a collegiate of the various tendencies of our people. The struggle to salvage a land should not be limited to the selfish and pretender claims of who does what but must at all times ventilate the philosophy of “collectivism is the strength of a community”.

This is very much in line with the Ebira age-long saying that the concern of a passer-by regarding a commotion occasioned in a community by an invading snake is about whether the snake has been killed and not who killed or what was used to kill the snake. The ease of killing the proverbial snake can only be a quotient of the amalgamated focus and strength of its hunters. This can never be achieved by atomizing into individualism and little groups which invariably betrays the weakness inherent in snakes as they refuse to flock together. Shared responsibility in the form of pulling resources together is the winning game in the contemporary world.

Permit me to say a healthy debate can only resonate the intellectual under-current of our inner minds and the alloy of our harmonized perspectives can only turn out finer grains of the issues of our land at least within the realm of our online platform. EPA therefore welcomes all criticism about our land as they serve as a barometer of our performance. However I ask every child of our land to contribute financially or otherwise to the growth of this umbrella body while we concurrently ask for accountability on the part of its executives. This is the only way we can reduce the moral burden on our conscience when we criticize the same body.

I would very much like to retire this discourse to the issue of security which is the most paramount in the life of a man as the saying goes that ‘even in the midst of plenty, the quantum of consumption is linearly related to the quantum of crisis in and around you’.

Fellow compatriots, I am proud to say that E.P.A. has ceaselessly engaged our community and various security agencies on series of dialogue. Let me hasten to say and put it on record that EPA has its solid fingerprint in the current peace which we all enjoy at home today. On the assumption of office of the current executives, EPA initiated a meeting of all district traditional rulers and ward heads of our community, wherein fingers were variously pointed at the then Area commander of Kogi Central as the problem of our land as he was said to be renting guns from the police armuory to our politicians' miscreants to perpetuate mayhem in our land.

We initiated a strong meeting with the then commissioner of police where we demanded that he be transferred from our land. It was the refusal of the command to recommend such that made us write a letter to the Inspector General of Police, National Security Adviser. The National Security Council ordered the IG to transfer him. Our appreciation goes to the then Director of Armed forces intelligence, Major General S.Y. Audu who assisted much in this regard.

We followed up with a meeting with the Commissioner of Police Alh. Muhammed Katsina. We gave him a letter for onward transmission to the IG demanding the construction of police post in all the dark spots where our “bad boys” take hibernation e.g Ajaokuta road, Ageva, Ege, Usungwe etc. and indeed creation of more Police divisions in Okene as a single Police division is considered inadequate to take care of our burgeoning population and expansion.

The letter went up to the police service commission where budgetary constraint has been cited as their main hindrance. Reminders and follow-ups are still been done till date. The president of EPA personally met the then IG on this. In order to foster a good Community/Security Agents relationship, The then Commissioner of Police, Alh Katsina and DSS directed all the DPOs and Heads of SSS in the District to a meeting of security agents in the Land and Ebira Leaders at the Hilltop hotel Okene. The meeting came up with frank and rewarding suggestions at addressing some of our security challenges.

Part of the resolution was to design forms to be filled by any prospective tenant(s), signed by the landlord, attested to by the Ward Head and endorsed by the Police in the area. The form is to carry relevant security information about the tenant. It was purely about knowing your neighbor.

Three things necessitated this meeting;

1. The discovery of explosives in a house rented out to a tenant in Obangede.

2. As a reaction to the interview by the former GOC 1st mechanized division on the volatile security situation of the north wherein he mentioned Okene as second to Kano in the order of security volatility in the north.

3. The privileged information from the Intelligence passed on to me as President of EPA on the worry of the President of the FGN about Okene becoming a point from which an attack could be launched on the FCT based on reports that Okene had become a transit point for arms from the South destined for Federal Capital Territory.

It was three days after the meeting above that there was an attack on the Deeper Life and murder of soldiers. EPA swiftly addressed a press conference and had one-on-one meetings with the Commander, Military Barrack in Lokoja ; GOC 1st mechanized division in Kaduna, Director of Defense intelligence and the Chief of Army Staff. The high level personae that attended the meetings are still on ground. The meeting was to douse the impending holocaust on our land and calm the frayed nerves of the security personnel.

In addition to this meeting was a high level security meeting facilitated by our distinguished Senator Nurudeen Abatemi and our other elected representatives in Inike town hall, Okene. This meeting was also followed up with another one with the Governor as facilitated by the same senator. The meetings came up with a lot of resolutions. EPA followed up all these meetings with a letter to the President, Chief of Army Staff and National Security Adviser, demanding for a Military Barrack in Ebiraland.

Three major reasons were cited for this request;

1. To arrest the spate of violence prevailing in the area.

2. The fact that we are bounded by six communities where the borders are very porous, thereby, permitting cross-border banditry.

3. Our peculiar location that made it commercial melting point and transportation hub between the south and north.

We have ceaselessly followed this request with series of letters to the Chief of Army Staff. Indeed I had a call from one Brig. Gen. Butu of the Army headquarters on the attention our letter was receiving. Two major challenges they have in attending to our request include;

1. The fact that the Barrack in Lokoja was initially in Okene until a protest was launched for it to be moved after the civil war.

2. The fact that the Barrack in Otokiti Village, Lokoja is still in Ebiraland, making it difficult to have a second one in the same location.

We have not lost hope as I still reiterated the request to the present Commander of the Barrack in Lokoja, Gen. Abubakar. He disclosed to me that the Army council has in fact approved a new Barrack for Kogi but unsure of its likely location. We have since followed up with another reminder to the COAS.

Some other efforts of EPA at securing peace for our Land include;

1. Recovery of cache of arms from our cemeteries which the military actively partner with us to undertake.

2. Sometimes back there were reports made to EPA on some unholy activities of some miscreants in some quarters of our land. Two notorious places are noteworthy for these same activities though cannot be disclosed at the moment but relevant steps are being taken by the security agents in partnership with EPA.

3. It was a measure of confidence of the security authorities on EPA to refer the crisis within the Igbo community in Ebiraland which has the propensity to dovetail unto our land to EPA for adjudication despite the fact that the Area Commander, Commissioner of Police were already joined in a suit on the issue in a law court. Much effort is being made at resolving it as EPA has consulted with the Ohinoyi of Ebiraland and the Supreme Elder’s council in a move towards resolving the issue.

4. EPA decided to institutionalize a Supreme Elders’ Council for our land with a view to nipping in the bud all and every local issues besetting the land. This body has just gotten a new Chairman, Alh. Sule Aliu (Alias Sule Engineer) who has took over from Adai Senator Isa Abonyi Obaro. This body is currently mediating on a lot of the issues of the land such as Ohinoyi/Ohi crisis, Ebira/Ogori land dispute, and Ebira/Edo land dispute. EPA has also raised these issues and that of the Zariagi land dispute between Okene and Okehi L.G.A. before the governor of the state. Hon. Hassan Yusuf, the Okehi LGA Chairman was also very helpful on this matter. Some of these issues are before the National Boundary Commission while the Deputy Governor’s office is looking into that of Zango-Daji and Irepeni.

On the incessant robbery on Lokoja-Okene road, I have had three meetings with the immediate past commissioner of police, Director of SSS and the Area commander. Precisely a day to the last SALLAH festival, in a meeting with the AC and his DPOs, he informed me that a particular house in the bush around Osara was found where the robbers hid a stock of military uniforms and some arms they use for robbery. The Police, he said, confiscated the items and set the house ablaze only to find out that it only gave us a temporary respite before the recent resurgence of the same crime along the same route.

Following the attack on Military convoy on that route, I put a call through to the AC and the then Acting Commissioner of police who has just been replaced with substantive one. We all denounced the idea that it was Boko Haram operation. I implored them to get in touch with the police headquarter immediately to put the right information across for the public. The AC has done that through the Commissioner and I am aware that the Police headquarter already came out to denounce the claim of the press.

5. I recall the role played by EPA when there was a shoot- out between miscreants and the security forces in Idoma, Okengwe, the Commander of the Barrack in Lokoja directed through the Commander of the military operation in Ebira that as the National President of EPA I should be granted the right to visit the scene of the incidence to enable us appreciate what happened and communicate the appropriate message to our community. The visitation and subsequent meetings gave us an insight into a lot of unwholesome activities in our land.

6. The complaint of poor welfare of the military squad in Ebiraland necessitated my taking their commander to the Chief of the State who then had a measure of influence over the activities of the Director of Local Government (DLGs) presiding then, to help ameliorate the welfare challenges of the soldiers.

7. On the menace of the cattle Fulani Nomads, the Sarkin Hausawa, Head of Fulanis and my humble self met and decided to set up a small monitoring committee to monitor, report and intervene in all matters that could engender conflict. His majesty, our Ohinoyi is aware of these moves and I remain very grateful to him for his consistent support.

8. On the daily outing of masquerades on frivolous excuses, we had fears that things may degenerate into violence especially after the death of some masquerade fan in Okengwe. This prompted EPA to

have audience with the Commissioner of Police who graciously summoned a meeting of all the local government chairmen and District heads of Kogi Central Senatorial District where some measures were agreed upon to implement the laws on the outing of masquerades. I am most grateful to our LG Chairmen who have ensured moderation of such outings. This is an excerpt of the few attempts of EPA at securing the peace of our home.

10. On the last day of the former comm of police, EPA organised a send off for him and the meeting we invited the AC of ajakuta LG and his two DPOs to a meeting with fhe Elders of the land at Adogo secretariat. We left with assurances that things will improve until the last unfortunate security breach at the Adogo Police station. We are already discussing with the security agents on this.

EPA’s efforts in the field of development, education, health etc. may be a topic for another day write-up if God wills I have labored to give this account not only to proudly Anebira but many other concerned Ebira entities. The battle of repositioning EPA is a task of all times and task of all.

EPA has just paid ₦162,000 as unpaid accumulation of 21year levies due to Corporate Affairs Commission to strengthen the legal status of this all-time umbrella organization of our people. It is nice to remind us that we have two existing coalition of civic societies in Kogi Central Senatorial District existing today.

1. The one that meets at the house of Chief Joshua Omuya and headed by Alh. Bajehson, the Shettima of Ebiraland. EGA, FES, Club10 etc. sends representatives and was basically set up to address the cernuous issues of our land. They have achieved much and are still achieving in this direction. Kudos to them, for their untiring efforts.

Let me recall the kind admonition of the above body on the need of everyone support the growth of our only umbrella body, EPA. Sentiments were expressed on the need to strengthen and contribute massively to EPA as our umbrella body like in other places, not because of Dr. Adeiza but because only consistent nurturing and participation rather than proliferation of organizations lead to a desired objective.

Prof. Angela Okatahi, DIG A. Yusuf (Rtd) and FES etc all spoke eloquently in this direction. To those of us in EPA executive, we see emergence of several groups as a measure of rekindled interest in the interest of Ebiraland and welcome it as such. We however advise that we should be conscious of the fact that a fist pushes harder than a finger and must always find the courage to resolve our issues around a common objective: unity and progress of Ebiraland.

As a by- line, the Okun people under the banner of their National President and Prof. Lambo have invited EPA to nominate two persons in addition to its President to a joint negotiation on working out a formidable platform towards fighting our marginalization in the state. Two names viz: Prof. Adams Ahmed of NDA and Dr. Adinoyi Ojo Onukaba have been forwarded.

In conclusion, I thank every Anebira at home and Diaspora for their consistent support. Going by what I know and have seen today, I can say that our land holds much hope not only for its people but the country.

We should see our cup half-filled rather than half- empty. I am convinced that our dawn is close and like phoenix, we shall so emerge from the ashes of our marginalization and self-destruct. We can only appreciate the height of a cliff from a chasm just as that of a mountain from a valley. We have fallen to our lowest and can only emerge stronger.

We have to be vigilant and resolute so as never again to study any proverbial geology after an earthquake. We may not have tomorrow to live but we could do better today for posterity. I have faith that Ebira shall have peace, I have faith that Ebira shall become a land of pilgrim’s pride.

Work hard, keep faith and above all be truthful because the day of reckoning may just be the next. May God’s kindness provoke enduring smiles on our faces.

Amen! Ameen!! Amiii.

We solicit the cooperation of all in our drive towards having a peaceful home.

ÈPA account is domiciled at GTB with the account No. 0113792378.

Signed:

Dr Adeiza M. Abdulrahman

National President, Ebira Peoples' Association (EPA).