Following the judgment of the High Court of Justice of Kogi State, sitting at Court 7, Lokoja on the 11th day of November, 2024, Emakoji community has been thrown into chaos as unprecedented destruction of properties, attacks and harassments on locals hold sway freely.
Our Correspondent gathered that some Police men and Vigilante men that were mobilized to Emakoji to maintain law and order in the community after the judgment were overwhelmed by thugs who brandished dangerous weapons, thereby forcing the officers and the Vigilante men to retreat and return to their base.
A member of the community, who spoke on condition of anonymity, narrated that the members of Odejele family and his supporters have been chased out of Emakoji community and several of their properties destroyed and looted.
His words: “After the judgment, several thugs beseeched this community. In fact, they started landing here a day before the judgment, threatening to deal with Odejele Emakoji and all of us supporting him if the case doesn’t go in his favour. After the judgment, they destroyed the Banner of HRH Chief Sunday Akowe in his palace, declaring that they don’t want to see him in Emakoji Community as they are now the owner of the land. They also claimed that Odejele title has been nullified by the court however, this is not what the judgment of the court says.”
Another local who spoke with our correspondent, stated that: “This is worse than communal war. They are destroying our properties, looting our farms. They said that we no longer have right to enter our farms in Emakoji as the land now belongs to them. This is shocking because that’s not what the court decided in its judgment.”
Our correspondent reached out to his H.R.H. Chief Sunday Akowe, the Odejele Emakoji on the phone, and he stated as follows: “I have been chased out of my community by thugs hired by my adversaries. They went to my farm and destroyed everything, looting my farms. They destroyed my banner in my Palace, damaged the roof of my building, and have been threatening to kill me if they sight me in the community. I have lodged a complaint at Police Station Abocho. As I speak to you, I am staying in another community where I ran to for the safety of my life. This is not what the judgment of the High Court says. My appointment and beading as Odejele Emakoji was not set aside by the court. The judgment did not declare me as a tenant to Enene. The judgment did not say I should be attacked, harassed or chased away from my community”.
The traditional ruler continued:
“I am a 3rd class chief. I didn’t appoint or bead myself. I seek the intervention of Kogi State Government to stop these attacks and harassments that are going on in Emakoji. There should be accountability for these actions”.
Efforts to reach Enene Emakoji whom our correspondent learnt lives at Idah proved abortive at the time of filing this report.
