Cross River Governor’s aide accused of ordering villagers killed to make his father clan ruler

GRAPHIC IMAGE WARNING: This post contains images some people may find very disturbing.

A media aide to a Nigerian governor will do anything to clinch his father a traditional title, sources familiar with his “bloody hustle” for the throne told NewsroomNG.

A number of people have been killed and millions in property destroyed allegedly because Christian Ita is yet to have his way regarding the headship of New Netim village, Odukpani local government area of Cross River State.

Ita was chief press secretary to former governor Liyel Imoke. He plays the same role for current governor Ben Ayabe.

“Ita forged a certificate of recognition, recognising his father Rahpael Okpa Ita as village head against what the clan head and the paramount ruler chose,” a source told our correspondent.

The source said one Bassey Ndifon Ejen is favoured by the people to emerge as rightful successor to the chieftaincy after former head of the village died in 2015.

“The procedure is that the clan head in collaboration with council chiefs, will chose the next village head, who will later be presented to the paramount ruler, and finally to the state government for the issuance of the certificate of recognition.

“But Ita used his office to get the aforementioned certificate without recourse to the protocols. The villagers refused the forgery, and rejected Ita’s father as head of New Netim.

“Ita then mobilised social miscreants to beat up or murder whoever did not recognise his father’s imposition.

“The killings and destruction continue as we speak.

“Journalists in the state have refused using this story because of the allocation they get from the officer of the chief press secretary, without thinking about the killings and burning of houses,” he said.

The most recent attacks began around 9:30pm on September 18, 2016 and, according to our source, continues till date. The first attacks were launched in December 2015 through January 2016.

Two people were killed while three others were injured, our source said. Several buildings were razed.

Clan head of neighbouring Odukpani Qua Community, Cyril Omin Okima, wrote letters to the Paramount Ruler and President of the area’s Traditional Ruler Council echoing our source’s claims.

The letters were made available to NewsroomNG.

Okima stated that journalists who eventually reported the destruction twisted the story to mislead the public.

He said the “false” reports described the violence as clashes between Odukpani Qua Community and New Netim village with the former being the aggressor.

“These publications are nothing but false to the extreme,” he wrote the paramount ruler in a letter dated September 28, 2016.

“They were sponsored and calculated to mislead and distract security authorities from the real cause of the clash, conceal its perpetrators and to deliberately damage the good image of Odukpani Qua Community,” he wrote.

In another letter, he said about 200 New Netim young men our source said were employed by Ita stormed and attacked Odukpani Qua around 3am on September 28.

“One person was killed during the attack,” he wrote in another letter dated October 7.

“Houses and other property were burnt, people fled for their dear lives. There is no justification whatsoever for the consistent, endless, wonton attacks and destructions on Odukpani Qua Community by some elements of New Netim who are sponsored and financed by their kindred.”

Okima said the crime his people committed was helping New Netim villagers who fled their homes and sought refuge with their Odukpani Qua neighbours who readily helped and offered first aid to the wounded.

We were unable to reach Governor Iyade’s media aide, Christian Ita.

A state police spokesperson confirmed there have been clashes in the local government area but claimed “I don’t know what is happening when we seek details of the said clashes”.

“If you want information from the police, come to Cross River State so we can know who you are for security reasons”, she said.

In pictures: Death, destruction in Odukpani local government area of Rivers State over chieftaincy title