Ovre-Eku Community Protest: 87 Years Old Woman Declared Missing
By Our Correspondent
Twenty Four (24) hours after hundreds of women were assaulted by soldiers during a peaceful protest at Ovre-Eku community, located in a disputed land between Edo and Delta States, Eku community in Ethiope East local council area of Delta State today declared an 87-years-old woman, Mama Alice Omadefe who was among the protesters missing.
Mama Alice Omadefe, the missing woman.
Mama Omadefe had accompanied over 500 women on a peaceful protest to a site acquired by PRESCO Oil Company despite the fact that the said land which is in dispute, is currently before the National Boundary Commission.
The women had on Wednesday embarked on a peaceful protest to the site acquired by PRESCO with the aim of demanding answers from the company on how and who sold the land to them despite the fact that the land is under dispute.
Unfortunately, rather than being addressed by representatives of the company, the women were flogged, booted and chased by the soldiers under the instruction of the Unit Commander, Lt. E.D Oworobo who had stationed themselves along the road leading to the site being occupied by the company.
It was a sympathetic sight as the soldiers whom were drafted from 4th Brigade, Benin City, Edo State chased the women most of whom are in their 80s into adjourning bushes around the site, wiping them with tree stems while others booted the women on the buttocks as they tried to run away from the soldiers.
At the Eku Baptist Hospital where most of the women were rushed to for medical attention, one of the women, identified as Roseline Sunday was receiving medical attention for a broken leg, while others were being treated for various wounds sustained as a result of the incident.
Meanwhile, the traditional ruler of Agbon Kingdom, HRM Ukori I, has vowed to pursue the matter to a logical conclusion with an appeal to the Federal Government to wade into the matter.
Describing the silence of the National Boundary Commission, the monarch during a meeting with representatives of Ovre-Eku community warned that a communal clash is currently brewing as a result of the delayed demarcation of the disputed land by the commission.
He said: “It is our knowledge that PRESCO Oil PLC is owned by one Col. Paul Ogbebor, hence the military siege on the land in question, but we have reached out to the 4th Brigade where the soldiers are from and they would followup the matter from there.”
