Secret Reporters No place to hide
Contrary to popular belief that late President Yaradua floated the amnesty programme for the Niger Delta militants, documents made available to us proved otherwise; as the originator, Onengiya Erekosima, President, Foundation For Peace And Nonviolence In Nigeria – FOFPEN has cried out to the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on how Rivers State governor, Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi has set out to kill him.
In the petition sent to NHRC, which was exclusively gotten by Elombah.com, it stated that he has some exclusive information on the governor activities during the hey days of the militants. It noted that his woes began when the governor established the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) in 2008 and he was invited to testify. He testified before the panel and told them to ask Governor Amaechi to explain who planted a cache of arms and ammunitions at Okochiri, in Okrika to demonize Tom Ateke before the Senate President, David Mark.
His testimony drew the ire of the governor who allegedly sent men of the underworld to begin sending him text messages, threatening his life. In the documents in our custody, Onengiya know some dirty deals regarding the cache of ammunitions between the governor, David Mark and Tom Ateke. The petitioner also alleged that Mr Amaechi was opposed to his proposal of the amnesty to President Yaradua, not because he hate criminality, but he feared the fact that he will not be able to get back at his real and imaginary enemies who enjoyed Tom Ateke support. While he fought Ateke, we gathered that he also fraternized with Soboma George who had quarrel with Ateke, thus applying the divide and rule tactics. Once Ateke and Soboma were reconciled by Onengiya , he became a target for elimination as the governor reportedly considered him a risk to his security interest.
As a follow up to his revelation before the TRC, the governor rolled in bulldozers to his sister’s house, Madam Sophia George and pulled down the entire three storey building at Plot A, Block 155, Port Harcourt Township alongside its properties, worth N3 billion, while placing him under arrest with handcuffs on his wrists. The incident which was taken to court for litigation, but the governor opted for out of court settlement but never fulfilled the gentlemanly agreement till date.
In September 2009, as President Yaradua declared the amnesty, which he was to attend the ceremony being the originator, he alleged that he was falsely accused of violating traffic laws and put in prison custody till the whole ceremony ended. More violations to his rights were carried out when he went to the airport to pick his elder brother from the US, but on getting to Garrison Junction; he was stopped by the police and forced to lie down on the ground with his brother in the full glare of the public and tortured under the accusation that he was involved in gun running.
Seeking relief from the Commission, he asked that Amaechi pays his sister the sum of N3 billion for his sister’s house destroyed and another N5 million for making him homeless, all the years he has ran away from Port Harcourt. He also demanded another compensation worth N100 million for his business which he abandoned due to threat to life and N50 million for his abandoned NGO. He further prayed the commission that there must be a guarantee his life and safety as a citizen of Nigeria.
Source – Elombah.com
