Okpare-Olomu Protest Turns Violent, Eight Arrested, One Dead

Tensions remain high in Okpare-Olomu following a violent protest by over a thousand women on Friday, a day after a military invasion disrupted the community’s annual general conference. The protest, which turned bloody, was met with a heavy response from security forces, resulting in one fatality and several arrests.

The crisis began on Thursday morning when Nigerian military personnel, in three Hilux vehicles, stormed Okpare-Olomu at around 7:30 am. The soldiers seized control of the community’s town hall, the scheduled venue for the Okpare community’s annual general meeting. The military action was reportedly aimed at halting the conference due to a court order restraining community gatherings.

In response, women from Okpare-Olomu, outraged by the military’s heavy-handed approach, gathered on Friday and marched to the palace of the Ohworode of Olomu Kingdom. They condemned the invasion, voicing their support for the leadership of the community under President General Okiemute Otaka, who had been forced into hiding for fear of arrest.

The women demanded that the Olomu monarch intervene to resolve the escalating conflict. They also accused those opposing the conference of attempting to cover up questionable land dealings, which had sparked the dispute in the first place. The protest quickly turned violent when a youth, identified as John Ogedegbe, was shot by a member of a vigilante group that had been deployed alongside the military to maintain order.

Ogedegbe was rushed to the hospital but was later arrested by police officers from the Ekpan police station. Authorities also detained eight other protesters, including several youths and one woman. According to Otaka, the protestors were peacefully voicing their opposition to the military’s actions when they were detained.

The detained individuals, whose names include David Ogodogu, Wealth, Ebruphiyo Alfred, Andrew Iruoga, Ogaga, and Alex Orgi, remain in police custody. Otaka denounced the arrest, emphasizing that the annual conference is the highest decision-making body in Okpare-Olomu and should not have been interfered with by security forces. “It was illegal to use security agencies to stop the highest decision-making body of Okpare-Olomu,” he asserted.

In an official response, the chairman of Ughelli South Local Government Area, Lucky Avweromre, defended the deployment of military personnel and other security agencies to the community. According to Avweromre’s statement, the security presence was necessary to enforce a court order that had postponed the conference, due to pending litigation. The council chairman emphasized that the military’s role was to ensure compliance with the local government’s directive and maintain peace in the community.

“The presence of security agencies, including the police, NSCDC, army, and VGN, was not an invasion but a precautionary measure to prevent any defiance of the chairman’s order,” Avweromre clarified. “It’s crucial to correct the misleading information and provide an accurate account of the events.”

Despite the government’s assertions, the protest has sparked outrage in the community, with many residents voicing concerns about the militarization of local affairs and the suppression of their traditional governance structures. The Okpare-Olomu community is now left to navigate a fragile peace, with both sides calling for an immediate resolution to the crisis.