Oil-rich Benikrukru community in Gbaramatu Kingdom of Delta State had earlier on October 28 2019, experienced an unexpected surge of violence during a meeting organized by elders of the community to elect a new chairman.
The meeting which began by 11am was held at the residence of Apostle Johnson Bibogha in Warri and had all the notable elders from the community in attendance. But the peaceful meeting swiftly turned to a battle ground when some boys came to the venue at around 3pm and attacked the elders.
GbaramatuVoice learnt that during the meeting, the elders from Oboro quarter of the community had deliberated and agreed for an election. In the election, Mr. Solomon Odu polled 9 votes and was perceived as the next chairman of the community.
Mr. Odu beat his opponent who polled 5 votes. Before then a group of young men wanted to gain entrance to the meeting but were refused entry as they were not elders representing the community, so they stayed out. When the election had been conducted and the winner announced, one of the young men among the group protested the announcement from outside.
He later engaged the community present Chairman, Chief Godwin Olufemi in oral battle and things went out of hand and the chairman was rained with flying blows.
Other elders were not spared, leading to the destruction of vehicles and other invaluable properties.
A source who spoke to GbaramatuVoice thus narrated the occurrence, “There was a meeting ongoing right here in this Johnson Bibo’s residence concerning the upcoming chairmanship election in Benikrukru community.
“The Elders from the quarters of Oboro were holding a meeting and some boys came in which I cannot mention their names.
“They were told the meeting was not for the general population of the area but just the elders alone from the quarter. So they hanged around.
“The meeting was to decide who can be appointed as the community chairman, because according to the elders they don’t want to go public in election, so that there would be no conflict between the quarters. So they had to select one person as chairman.
“When the elders decided who they would give the next chairman, that was when one of the boys came in and started accusing the current Chairman of Benikrukru community that he is biased.
“He was insulting him and as the chairman was trying to talk back at the boy, he punched the chairman in the face.
“They didn’t like the decision taken by the elders. The elders came to an agreement that they had talked to themselves and they selected Mr. Solomon Odu to be the next chairman of the community.
“That was when the all-thing started. They scattered the house, broke the door of the house, scattered the window.
“They came, they destroyed the house and beat up some of the elders. There is one man called Monday, they beat him. When they went downstairs, Fiyewei of Gbaramatu, Chief Godspower Gbenekama’s car parked outside was destroyed by these boys.
“After they did all this, they hanged around for a while, then they drove off,” he concluded.
Meanwhile, our reporters gathered that one Humphrey Bibogha, one of the chairmanship aspirants who polled 5 votes, has been arrested by Police over the mayhem.
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