By Odey Ojeka
A team of the State Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) unit of the Nigeria Police Force from Force Headquarters Abuja, have taken the Obol Lopon of Ugep, Obol Ofem Ubana to Abuja for questioning over the recent gangstar activities in the community in Yakurr local government area.
The FSARS team stormed the palace of the Obol Lopon at about 12 noon with a rumor making the rounds that Police were arresting Obol Ofem which led to a temporary face-off between the youths and the Policemen who had attempted to stop the arrest.
One of the youth who spoke on condition of anonymity told CrossRiverWatch that the killer of one Jude Iroegbu; a nephew to the Special Assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on prosecution, Barrister Okoi Obono-Obla was arrested Monday in Akwa Ibom state and called on Obla to stop harassing the Obol as the yearly Leboku festival is at hand.
He said that: “The police came to invite our Obol Lopon to Abuja for investigation over the death of Barrister Okoi Obono-Obla nephew who died as a Viking cult member.
“Ojor of Ijom ward who shot his nephew, has been arrested yesterday in a bank in Akwa Ibom. So what does he still want from our Obol Lopon? We must not allow them to arrest our Obol Lopon.
“They should have stopped their brother from being a cult member when he was alive. All we need now is peace in our dear Ugep land, our new yam festival is at hand.”
Ugep began boiling earlier in the year when the Black Axe confraternity accused the Vikings confraternity of killing its member and went on a spree of arrest with the Police.
The Vikings later claimed to have visited a voodoo priest who said that the Black Axe had killed and hidden the corpse of their member during an initiation but upon reaching the gate of the palace of the Obol Lopon to tell him their findings, engaged in a melee with his bodyguards whom they accused of been members of the black Axe confraternity.
The melee degenerated into a gangstar war which led to the killing of Mr. Jude with Mr. Obla listing the names of suspected gangstars who killed and are accomplices to the murder of his nephew, Mr. Jude.
The Obol’s cabinet were unhappy with Mr. Obla’s activities and asked him to apologize which he said will be over his dead body.
But, Obol Ofem had earlier in the year declared war on gangstars and said that his leadership will not condone any form of gangstarism.