The rising crime waves in
Ugbokolo and environs are becoming alarming and unbearable; the inhabitants can
no longer have their peace. Once it is 7 pm everyone seems to be living under
the apprehension of whose compound would become the next point of call to the
robbers.
The ancient town is gradually
becoming a den of robbers as a result of the incessant robbery attacks and
other social vices being perpetrated by those children of perdition. Their
activities are in assortment – from highway robbery to rape; from snatching of cars,
phones and other items to physical assaults.
In carrying out those
activities, the ‘unknown gunmen’, as the Police would always refer to them, are
not selective in their operations. They unleash horror on both the rich and the
poor; the young and the old; the indigenes and non-indigenes; the educated and
non-educated.
With the presence of Benue
State Polytechnic, which would have served as a ‘citadel of learning’, the
criminals take advantage of its heterogeneous affinity and hide under its
canopy to either enroll for a purported course or link up with friends who are
under the same expedition.
Thus, the polytechnic
environment becomes absorbent and permeable in enthralling criminalities. The
Lecturers and Students are prime targets under this category.
Though the school authority is
versatile in combating crime by making the campus environment very severe for
the visitation of those unwanted guests, yet, they take enchantment in
waylaying their victims who are living around the polytechnic environment with
attendant effects on students and staff. Those living in the hostels and
quarters within the campus record minimal cases, thanks to the security apparatus
of the school.
The visiting interludes for
these uninvited guests have been decoded. They carry out their evil acts
whenever examinations are on-going in the polytechnic. Investigations revealed
that the incidences of robbery recorded during examinations are higher compared
to when the students just resume. This may not be unconnected to the fact that,
those perpetrating these heinous acts would be running shortage of cash or
other provisions as the semester is at its tail end. And you would hear them say
“O boy, I dey jones oo”, “ground no level
at all”.
Research also proves that the
dare-devil robbers also take pressure in attacking their victims during the
rain at night. They defile rain to unleash mayhem on their unsuspecting and
innocent victims, who may be enjoying the rousing and the sweet sensation that
come with such mid-night rain. Any operation carried out under such atmosphere
will be successful as no one would be able to hear the victims shout or even
the police would not drain their selves inside the rain.
Aside attacking during the
rain, the men of the underworld also take delight in operating at the wee of
the set of dawn from 7-8 pm when the town is still busy and some would visit as
from 2 am when the police patrol would have rounded up their itinerary for the
night.
Most recent findings also show
that part-time students who come from various centres during weekends to write
examinations have severely come under the attacks of these hoodlums who always
ambush them and collect their handbags and other properties, especially those
that stay out in the campus to read at night.
During the time of Amb. Dr.
Ogbeh Obande and up to the first tenure of Amb. Dr. O.B. Ella as Rectors of the
polytechnic, the crime rate was minimal, save for the activities of the various
cult groups that engraved the polytechnic community which led to the abolition
of elections into offices of the Students Union Government (SUG). The SUG
executives are now being appointed and not elected.
This has helped to bring the cult
activities to its barest minimum, thereby reducing their operations to only
festive period or during matriculations.
As the battle changed from
cultism to robbery and other social vices, the polytechnic authority and indeed
the security agents are working tirelessly to curb the menace. Despite their
collective efforts, the crime continuous unabated, day-in, day-out, their
victims languish in pains.
The hoodlums are also fond of
rough-handling and inflicting physical pains on their victims.
DayBreak crew went round
Ugbokolo to interact with some of the victims and it was discovered that the
criminals always leave their victims with physical and psychological torments,
with some still battling to recover from the untold hardship they were
subjected to.
One of the victims, Tina Obaje,
a 2009 graduate of Marketing from the institution narrated her ordeal. “I am an
unfortunate victim of serial attacks from robbers in Ugbokolo as I have been
attacked twice. First was during my ND in 2006 and secondly, as I was rounding
up my HND in 2009.
“Fresh in my memory was the
last attack which took place on the 14th September, 2009. We were deep asleep
by 2 am when suddenly the sound of the smashed door woke us and before I could
say ‘Jack Robinson’, the rays from their torchlight had engulfed my swollen
sleepy eyelids, all I could feel was their gun on my head. The first thing they
asked after was my laptop and I gave it to them. They also demanded for the
charger which was given to them as well and they eventually left with my new
Samsung C 100 and some amount of money I withdrew from ATM that fateful day”.
Another victim who identified
herself as Ms. J. Akwu also spoke with DayBreak. “Around 5 am we were reading
our books when we saw flashlight through our window and a tick voice ordered us
to open the door which we obeyed. When they entered, they asked us to lie down
while they were busy ransacking the whole room. They collected our handsets and
food stuffs”.
The case of Ms. Akwu above is
synonymous with that of Mr. P. Essah whose room was also visited on the 3rd
April 2013. According to him, the hoodlums went away with his handsets after
demanding for his wallet which he told them he did not have any.
In the case of Mr. T. Mbantar
which took place by 5 am the following morning after matriculations, the ‘bad
boys’ came in the form of policemen. “They knocked at the door and asked us to
open that they were policemen, we did and to our greatest surprise, we saw a
gun pointed at us and they asked us to lie down which we obeyed”, Mbantar
narrated.
Agada: Hoodlums may be guys within our vicinity |
The robbers do not preclude the
Lecturers and staff of the polytechnic in their activities. Engr. Ray Agada, a
Lecturer in the department of electrical electronics engineering narrated his
ordeal. “On the 21st January 2011 around 9 pm, I was in the sitting room with
my household when we saw some boys came in through the kitchen door. We locked
the front door but forgot to bolt the kitchen door. They pointed gun at us and
ordered us to lie down.
“They forced me into the room
and asked “where is the money?” and I replied there was no money as we are just
civil servants and have not been paid. The only money I had on me was N8000
which they took away with my Blackberry phone, laptops and wrist watch. They
also collected some valuables from my wife which could be cost at N350, 000”.
Engr. Agada’s experience could
be likened to that of Mr. Raph Ekere, a Senior Staff of the Polytechnic which
took place in August 2012. Mr. Raph and his household had just taken their
dinner at about 8 pm when the hoodlums forced their way into his house through
a door mistakenly left open by a member of the household. The gun men disposed
him of cash and valuables which include handsets, computers and other
electronics.
Susan: They moved all her properties into a waiting vehicle |
The most incredible and
pathetic occurrence was that of Mrs. Susan Ogwuche, the Chief Nursing Officer
of the Health Services Department of the Polytechnic. The incidence which she
described as “terrible experience” took place by 1 am on that fateful day. “It
was around 1 am when we were fast asleep, they forced their way into the house
and asked me to “bring that money” then I replied I didn’t have any money at
home, and then they started hitting my son on his head.
“Unknown to us, they had
brought a vehicle with which they moved all my belongings. They ransacked the
entire rooms and move all the moveable items and also left with my money. They
packed all my properties in their vehicle as if a tenant was moving out of an
apartment to go and live in another yard. I have never had such a terrible
experience”, she lamented.
Another Lecturer in the
department of Mechanical engineering, Mr. Daniel Obioje, his visiting friend
and his wife were left with various degrees of injuries when they failed to
produce the sum of N20, 000 as demanded by the hoodlums.
Obioje: Attacked on two occasions |
According to Mr. Daniel, “It
was around 8 pm and we were sitting outside, breaking melon with my friend when
we saw some boys approaching. At first we thought they had come for shopping
since my wife sells provisions, before I could ask what they would want to buy,
they ordered us to go inside our rooms. When we did, they demanded that we
provide the sum of N20,000 but we didn’t have such amount at home.
“They suddenly removed their
machetes and started inflicting injuries on our bodies – myself, my wife and my
visiting friend”.
In our recent research, we also
discovered that the crime is not only being committed during the school session
as the host community also suffers it even during holidays.
The robbers also intensify efforts
to spread their tentacles across the surrounding towns like Okpoga and Otukpa
in Ogbadibo LGA. Unfortunately for them, the Otukpa outreach is not always a
successful voyage as the combined efforts of the police and the local
vigilantes group in the area is yielding fruits. Within this year alone, four
robbery incidences were foiled in Otukpa with some killed while others escape
with bullet injuries. In each case, the arrested suspects are always linked
with Ugbokolo.
Most indigenes interviewed are
still confused about people who are perpetrating the crime. While some say
there might be hands of Ugbokolo indigenes in the act, others argue that they
are non-indigent students of the Polytechnic who also invite friends from other
places to commit this heinous act.
All efforts made by our reporters
to get the reactions of the Chairman and Chief Security Officer of Okpokwu LGC,
Hon. Juliana Obeta on the security state of Okpokwu LGA proved abortive as they
visited her office severally without result.
The Police authority in
Ugbokolo division also refused to speak on the insecurity situation, rather,
the DPO referred DayBreak crew to the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) in
Makurdi.
When visited at the State Command in Makurdi, the PPRO, DSP
Daniel Ezeala had this to say: “There is no security problem at Ugbokolo. If at
all there is, it is very minimal in the sense that the police have lived up to
expectation in their fight against crime activities in and around Ugbokolo.
This is because the application of modern policing, pro-active policing,
intensive and active crime patrol squads have yielded result, thereby reducing
crime to its bearest minimal”.
When our reporter asked further about the reported cases of theft,
burglaries and rape that are still fresh in the town, the police Spokesman replied:
“Like I said, they are very minimal. Meanwhile, some skeletal crimes reported
where nipped on the board.
“Let me give you an example, sometimes ago, there was an
attempt to rob a bank at Ugbokolo where police officers engaged the criminals
in a fierce combat and got them arrested. They were taken to the state C.I.D.
and were later charged to court. In the case of rape, an open investigation led
to the arrest of the alleged perpetrators”.
What then can we do to curb
this ugly menace in Ugbokolo? A Public Opinion Leader and the Chairman of Christian
Association of Nigeria (CAN), Okpokwu branch, Rev. J.S. Okwori spoke with
DayBreak on the crime wave in Ugbokolo and the possible remedies.
“Ugbokolo is a citadel of
learning, unfortunately, some are here to learn while others are here to commit
atrocities, so the two categories of people can be found in the school and that
is why we must be careful at all times.
“At our own end, we have been
praying to God to save the land. As the CAN Chairman, I do call meetings of all
the Pastors periodically to pray for the salvation of the land. The church is
making frantic efforts at ensuring the situation is brought to its bearest
minimum.
Rev. Okwori, CAN Chairman, Okpokwu LGA. |
“I want to use this medium to
call on the community Leaders to facilitate the operations of the local
vigilantes groups by empowering them to work to the best of their abilities.
The community Leaders should also join the church in prayers because except the
Lord watches over the Land, the vigilantes watch in vein. The villagers should make
it duty bound to report any suspicious movement around their area to the Law
enforcement agents as this would help curb the menace”, Rev. Okwori said.
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