Imo Community Writes Police Service Commission, Ask It To Disregard Petition Written Against Area Commander

Elders of the Umuture community in Ideato North Local Government Area of Imo State have written a letter to the Police Service Commission (PSC), asking the commission to disregard the petition recently written to it by a miner in their community, Paul Okosisi, who accused the Police Area Commander in the LGA, ACP Julius Ahaneku, of harassment and threat to lives of citizens in the area.

It will be recalled that Okosisi, in his petition to the PSC dated January 18, 2023, had alleged that the Police Officer has constituted himself into a ‘terror’ in the community and has no regard for the law.

The miner had claimed that despite him obtaining a grant from the Federal Government through the office of the Director of Mining Cadastral in Abuja, to mine the sand at Agwura and Urashi rivers in Ideato North LGA, some indigenes backed by the Area Commander invaded the mining site and carted away his equipment.

He explained that before the illegal invasion of the mining site by the Police Area Commander, the said indigenes had applied to the Mining Cadastral over the same site, but were turned down, while he was upheld as the authentic holder of the grant.

Okosisi added that as their application was rejected, the group and some armed thugs “accompanied by the Area Police Commander, invaded the mining site on December 6, 2022, broke into the gate and carted it to an unknown destination.

“Some of my workers were at the site at the time of the invasion and one of them recorded a video on his phone showing the Area Commander and his men shooting sporadically including the Police vehicle used for the operation.”

“On finding out about the video recording, the Area Commander ordered one Inspector Ernest Njoku to arrest the young man who recorded the video with a threat that he was going to make me and my children and the video recorder rot in detention,” the miner had explained.

In the petition, he had further noted that the Area Commander would have made good his threat to deal with him and members of his family, “if not for the timely intervention of the Police Headquarters in Abuja”.

He also claimed that the Area Commander led another operation on January 18, 2023, at the mining site during which he pointed gun at his son, Chimezie Okosisi and threatened to shoot him if they did not vacate the site for the illegal miners to take over.

But in a counter petition sent to the PSC on Thursday, the elders in the community refuted all the claims made by the miner in his petition, tagging them as mere calculated falsehoods to remove the Area Commander from his position by every possible connection within the police force.

They community elders claimed that the miner was only aggrieved that the Area Commander refused to be bribed against the interest of the community and the people.

Their petition reads in part: “With regard to the above subject-matters, we, the under-mentioned Heads, Chairman, Elders and Leaders and the Accredited Representatives of our respective families/villages that made up UMUTURE COMMUNITY, URUALLA ANCIENT KINGDOM at IDEATO NORTH LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA, IMO STATE OF NIGERIA were shocked to hear and read that NZE PAUL OKOSISI (carrying on business under the name and style of PAULY MERCHANDISE ENTERPRISES), had falsely petitioned against A.C.P JULIUS AHANEKU, Area Commander Ogboko – covering the Ideato North and South Imo State of Nigeria and falsely claimed to be mining at our vast expanse of land abounding Agwura Urashi Stream and River.

“We are shocked to read and hear from the boasting of NZE PAUL OKOSISI as he put down falsely in his petition of 18th day of January, 2023, signed by his Lawyer, one OLAJUMOKE ADEBAYO that the aforesaid Area Commander has constituted himself into a “Terror” in the Community and has no regard for the rule of law.

“We hereby categorically Deny/State that the falsehood and the allegations of “harassment” and threats of the residents of the Area Command is not true, rather the aforesaid families/Villages and UMUTURU Community or Family Union Members who are the bonafide owners in possession, by Customary inheritance and are entitled under the Land USE ACT, to the Statutory Right of Occupancy over All that Vast expanse of contiguous parcels of land abounding the AGWURA STREAM and URASHI RIVER and their appurtenances thereto stretching from Ugwu Agwura down to the boundaries of ELUAMA Village with ORSU TOWN and OBODOUKWU TOWN; locally called “AGURA/URASHI ORAMMIRI LAND”; situate and lying within the aforesaid UMUTURU COMMUNITY EZEMEAZU URUALLA ANCIENT KINGDOM, in IDEATO NORTH LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA, IMO STATE OF NIGERIA.

“It would be recalled that the NZE PAUL OKOSISI took some leaders to the office of the said Area Commander where he brought out the sum of N100,000.00 to and give him as kola money.

“The Area Commander thank him and refused to collect the money from him. NZE PAUL could not bribe the said Area Commander, he felt bad and boasted that he would use his Police connections to remove him from Ideato North & South Local Government Areas. We are not surprised by his present false petition against him.

“NZE PAUL had equally impersonated and forged a purported letter of consent using some of our names fraudulently in other to obtaining approval to dredge for sand in our communal large contiguous expanse of lands abounding the AGURA STREAM and URASHI RIVER.

“That the alleged incident of the 18th day of January, 2023, was caused by NZE PAUL OKOSISI who sent his armed thugs/cult Boys with Two armed Policemen from D.P.O Police Station Urualla who came like the BOKO HARAM men with threats to kill at the said dredging site where the constituted dredging work men by the entire URUALLA IBIAGU ANCIENT KINGDOM CLEAN, under the aforesaid Traditional Ruler, were carrying out their lawful dredging operation and stopped them claiming that they got injunction from Court which was false.

The Head of the operation called the said Traditional Ruler on phone who contacted the Area Commander through one of his nephews MR. ODINAKA EZEUGO who rushed to Ogboko and fetched the Area Commander and some of his Policemen to avoid bloodshed as the said armed thugs were poised to kill. They came and witnessed first-hand the radical and open threats by NZE PAUL OKOSISI’s thugs/cult Boys.”

“The said Area Commander was able to calm the situation to order by calling the remaining evil men of NZE PAUL after many of them had jumped into Urashi River and others ran inside the bush on siting the said Area Commander, NZE PAUL’S SON – CHIMEZIE OKOSISI for example.

“NZE PAUL equally lied in his said petition that he had grant from the Federal Government – Director of Mining Cadastral Abuja to mine the sand at Agura Stream and URASHI RIVER. That some indigenes, meaning us, invaded the land with the said Area Commander on 6th day of December 2022 and carted away his equipment and that we had applied for the license and failed to get one.

“NZE PAUL equally lied in his said petition that the said Area Commander ordered INSPECTOR ERNEST NJOKU to arrest the young man that recorded a video.

“NZE PAUL equally falsefully lied again in the said petition, that the said Area Commander led another operation to the site and threatened to shoot his Son CHIMEZIE OKOSISI, who led unknown miscreants to the site. He is to be put to the strictest proof of all the mendacious allegations in his said petition.

“That NZE PAUL has no colour of right over the said expanse of lands abounding the AGURA STREAM and URASHI RIVER and did not enter same with our leave, consent and authority but with the help of the aforesaid armed thugs/cults boys whom he empowered with money. They have become a continued threat to the community. NZE PAUL OKOSISI had boasted the Police is in his pay roll. His inability to control the Area Commander necessitated this petition.

“We have had cause to put a letter to the Director of DSS, Owerri over Nze Paul bringing miscreants armed with dangerous weapons threating the community. On one occasion one of his thugs attempted killing a young man with an axe.

‘Sir, the true fact of the case is that we are the Bona fide owners of the said expanse of lands abounding the AGURA STREAM and URASHI RIVER in question. NZE PAUL OKOSIS and his hired armed thugs/cultic boys imported into the community are often led by the following: OKOSIS CHIMEZIE, OKOSISI EDMOND (his Son), EZEUGO HENRY, ONYEZIRIMUZO MICHAEL (His Hit Man), IFEANYI IHEONU, EZEUGO EZEKIEL, OHAZURUME CHIBUIKE, ANUNIKE RAPHAEL (ALANGWA), UGOCHUKWU OKOSISI (OBIAKWANA) to name but a few had been overt “terror” machine of NZE PAUL OKOSISI against us and all the peaceful law abiding citizens of Urualla Ancient Kingdom.

“That We NEVER gave NZE PAUL OKOSISI (carrying on business under the name and style of PAULLY MERCHANDISE ENTERPRISES or any of his agent(s) or privy(ies) consent or sold any portion of the aforesaid family or communal land abounding the said AGWURA STREAM/URASHI RIVER which He NZE PAUL OKOSISI and his cohorts unlawfully and illegally trespassed into, without our leave, consent and authority and commenced His dredging activities before applying for the purpose of applying for the approval from the Ministry of Solid Mineral.

“That the purported names NZE PAUL OKOSISI impersonated one of us, MR. OBI JUDE EMEZIRIONYE and fraudulently forged his signatures. We hereby attach for your perusal the refute letter by MR. OBI JUDE EMEZIRIONY whom NZE PAUL OKOSISI claimed gave him consent which he submitted to the Ministry of Solid Mineral to try to obtain approval of 29th day of December, 2022. NZE PAUL OKOSISI to our knowledge had called MR. OBI JUDE EMEZIRIONYE and begged him not to refute his position or he would kill him.

“Beside, a perusal of the purported consent letter NZE PAUL OKOSISI submitted to the Ministry of Solid Mineral had names and not the signatures and stamps of the alleged People that gave him consent CHIEF OBI JUDE EMEZIRIONYE is a Chief at IKPA Village in UMUTURU COMMUNITY urualla and not the paramount ruler, where HIS ROYAL MAJESTY EZE NNABUGO OKOSISI EZEANYIKA is the Traditional and paramount Ruler of URUALLA ANCIENT KINGDOM CLAN, CHIEF OBI JUDE EMEZIRIONYE is under his paramountcy and cannot sign for HIS ROYAL MAJESTY or deputize for him. This is fraudulent,” the petition reads further.