In this interview with National Point, Commander of the local security vigilance group, OSPAC in Rundele, Nyeche Ajuru reveals that Emohua Local Government refused to pay local OSPAC vigilantes monies collected from transport companies to stop bus hijack and kidnap of passengers on the East-West Road
Can we know you?
My name is Nyeche Ajuru. My guy name is Anthill. Currently, I am OSPAC general commander , Emohua Local Government at Ndele Community.
What led to the burning of your house?
As of 2016, this community, this express road was not safe. The boys in this community, if they go East-West Road and rob, government would enter this community and begin to do mass arrest; arresting innocent people. I took it as a personal problem. When they noticed it was me, they began to fight me. After all said and done, they came and damaged this place (burned my house).
What led to the destruction of your property?
It is because I am after them. I am against what is happening.
You were after the criminal elements?
Yes. I was going after the boys. After when they go to the road and rob, the police would come and arrest both young men, mothers and fathers and begin to intimidate all the whole community. We were three that came up to fight them.
We arranged ourselves. The chiefs took us to Omoku to fortify us as OSPAC. When we came back we fought them. To God be the glory, we won the battle. We entered the East-West Road and occupied it.
Agofure Motors, Bob Izua Motors and all those transporters. You know how much they brought and gave a former local government chairman to pay us. That young man ate the money and refused to pay us. He refused to pay us that money.
How much was he given to pay you?
Agofure paid N4 million. Bob Izua paid N3.5 million. He ate all those monies. I am not after them. I am not after the money too. After all said and done, we still exist.
Biggie blocked the road and collected AK49 from a soldier. Soldiers from Rumokoro Barracks came to this community and said I should look for that gun. I ran around and recovered AK47 and seven ammunition and ten litters of bullets and they paid me nothing upon all my suffering. I didn’t bother. Government does not pay us, the local government does not pay; the community does not pay us.
The business we are doing today is what we use to take care of ourselves. The soldiers we are paying them every week N5 million.
Nigerian army soldiers?
All the whole barracks. Each barrack N5 million we are paying all the whole soldiers. Every week we are paying the soldiers N5 million. I said it. Yet their boys still come into the bush in the night, in the afternoon they shut the dump down.
What happened recently that led to this damage (burning down of my house)? They entered the bush in the afternoon, harassing the whole bike (motorcyclists) people; that was week before last. All the mothers, fathers going to the farm, they harassed them. They stopped all the bikes, lay them down in the bush, humiliating the full community.
I went there to try to make peace with them. The soldiers didn’t even allow me to come close to them. Before I knew it, they opened fire on me. Two soldiers opened fire on me and emptied their magazines on my body. You can video me (stripping to show his body laced with charms). Two of them emptied their magazines on me. I went close to them and collected two of them their guns
Were you the one that they said snatched rifles from the soldiers?
Yes. They opened fire on me. They didn’t allow me to come close to them. I was pleading with them. Eighteen bike people that they arrested…
They emptied the magazine on you and it had no impact?
Nothing. I had no injury. Look at my body. Nothing. I am also a police officer.
Still serving?
Yes. I am still serving.
If I wanted to take that gun, I would not have brought it in here. The young man begged me heaven on earth for me to return the gun. He asked for my account number that he was going to transfer money. I said I was not going to collect one naira from him. I left. Two days after, I gave the gun back through His Royal Highness. They came and set my house ablaze.
But they said they came to stop illegal oil bunkering.
Exactly what I just told you is what happened. We are paying them every week, N5 million. All the whole barracks. Houseboat at Rumuekpe, N5 million; Ibaa, N5 million; Ahoada Setraco, N5 million. All the whole barracks at Ndele, those people doing bunkering are paying them five million every week. That’s exactly what happened.
My great grandfather left this compound for my grandfather. My grandfather left this compound for my father. I foolishly shut down the compound for me to deliver the community. My brother, they have pushed me to the wall. And as they have pushed me to the wall heaven will not rest, earth will not rest. I will do my own.
What do you want government or community…
Today, again they came and destroyed the remaining. After they burnt the car, they came back and smashed the rest. I am in exile right now.
