Confusion in Oghara as soldiers kill vigilante leader in broad daylight

Firstclass newsline learnt that soldiers attached to 19 Military
Battalion, Koko, Delta State, yesterday, trailed and shot dead the
chairman of Oghara Vigilante Group in Ethiope-West Local Government
Area, Mr. Benson Ogedegbe, in broad daylight.
There was commotion in the community soon after the killing as
residents took to the streets in protest, while the Executive Director
of Africa Network for Economic and Environmental Justice, ANEEJ,s Mr.
David Ugolor, called on the Inspector General of Police to fish out
and prosecute the trigger-happy soldiers.
Firstclass newsline learnt that the deceased was having problem with
the leader of a criminal gang, who contacted his military friends to
eliminate him after attempts to rope him into a criminal case failed.
Army deniesinvolvement
When contacted, Commandant of 19 Battalion of Nigeria Army, Koko,
in-charge of the area, Lt. Col. Aminu Umar, denied that soldiers in
the battalion were responsible, saying he was yet to receive the
information.
Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, Delta State Police Command, DSP
Celestina Kalu, confirmed the death of the deceased when contacted by
firstclass newsline.
"The DPO has sent the situation report, but we are yet to unravel the
rationale behind the killing," she said.
The Divisional Police Officer, DPO, Oghara, told firstclass newsline
that his men were attracted to the scene on seeing residents
scampering for safety during a skirmish between the victim and a team
of soldiers on patrol in the area.
Late Ogedegbe's wifespeaks
The deceased's wife, Mrs. Endurance Ogedegbe, who spoke amid sob on
phone toVanguard, said: "He (husband) left the house today (yesterday)
to go to the school to pick up some papers, but when I came out, I
observed that some military men were following him, so I followed them
behind.
"They were pursuing him and I was following them, they got to a point,
overtook his car and shot him," she said.
A military source, however, said the deceased was struggling over a
gun with one of the soldiers on patrol, which Mrs. Ogedegbe debunked.
A police officer, who corroborated Mrs. Ogedegbe's claim, said: "I
do not think it is true that he was dragging gun with soldiers the way
we saw the situation. Soldiers and not police did the killing. The
police found the victim lying lifeless in the pool of his blood.''
Informant's account
Our informant, who is familiar with the case insisted: "Benson
Ogedegbe was killed by a group of soldiers working with the leader of
a known criminal gang at Oghara."
"Benson's father was killed in the course of fighting for justice at
Oghara and he took after his father.
''He was a games master in one of the schools at Ogharafe. The
gangster reported him to his military friends on the grounds that the
deceased implicated him in a matter.
"The gangster cooked up a petition against his son, who was first
picked up by the military, after which they invaded Benson's house,
seized his vehicle and other things, and also declared him wanted.
"Following pressure mounted on the military, the case was transferred
to the Criminal Investigation Department, CID, Police Headquarters,
Asaba, where one of the criminals they wanted to use against Benson,
confessed that he had never met him in his life."
It was learnt that the police released Benson and later released his
son on bail when detectives smelt a rat.
However, yesterday, Benson was going to school to pick up some
documents when soldiers stalked and killed him.
Died on the way to hospital
Security agents rushed him to Delta State University Teaching
Hospital, Oghara, for medical attention, but he died on the way.
A villager told firstclass newsline that Oghara monarch invited an
army officer and the deceased sometime ago, to resolve the grievances.
"Those after the deceased do not want him to remain alive, which is
why they snuffed life out of him," the villager said.
Firstclassnewsline.net