By Dada Ahmed.
The Ebira people,located in north central Nigeria, constitute one of the Nigerian tribes with remarkable history of socio-economic and political development, and they have been making noble contributions to the development of the country in various areas of human endeavours.
With a historical background linked to the famous Kwararafa Empire of 17th and 18th Century,the Ebiras, now known as Egbiras,via a gasette, are also of one the three major ethnic groups in Kogi State, north central Nigeria and are largely domiciled in the Central Senatorial District of the state.
The Ebiras are active players in the political process and development of Kogi State, having one of their own, Alhaji Yahaya Adoza Bello, currently running a second term in office as the governor of the state, while Okene is the political hub of Central Senatorial District.
While it is generally believe that crisis is a universal phenomenon in human existence,experience shows that Ebiraland has also faced its own socio-political challenges but for some time now, it has been enjoying relative peace until Thursday, Dec. 29, 2022, when Okene experienced a perceptible security breach.
Ordinarily, Dec. 29,2022 would have gone down as a peaceful day for the residents of Okene, as many of them trooped out to various destinations to look for their daily bread under a serene environment.
But later in the day, the situation somewhat turned sour as an explosion rocked the neighbourhood within the vicinity of the Ohinoyi of Ebiraland, Dr. Ado Ibrahim thus eliciting a lot of concern from residents and observers.
According to sources, a car, parked within the vicinity of the palace of the Ohinoyi Ebiraland, Dr. Ado Ibrahim, laced with explosives, reportedly exploded around 9:30 a.m., shortly before the arrival of President Muhammadu Buhari, who was scheduled to inaugurate some “legacy projects” executed by Gov. Yahaya Bello in Okene.
The projects include the new Reference Hospital, Okene, which is adjudged to be the first of its kind in Kogi State and perhaps, the best anywhere else across Nigeria.
Residents of Okene, a flourishing commercial town and political headquarters of Ebiraland, succinctly testified to the fact that the fateful day was apparently clear and free of storms until the blast that shook the city to its foundation.
The management of Okene Local Government Council, mindful of the security implications of the presidential visit, had ordered the closure of some major roads in Okene to make the visit of President Buhari hitch-free and remarkable.
Abdulmumin Abubakar, Special Adviser (Media & Publicity) to the Council Chairman, announced in a statement that the closure of Obehira junction along Okengwe Road, Agassa roundabout, junction around Dabras Hotel, Obangede junction along Ogaminana Road and Check-point junction along Auchi-Ajaokuta Road, with effect from 7 a.m. on Thursday, Dec. 29, was to make the presidential visit safe and seamless.
Feelers from the Lugard House, Lokoja, the seat of the state government, also revealed a watertight security arrangement for the president’s visit.
Local sources acknowledged that in the morning of the fateful day, residents of Okene were seen pursuing their legitimate social and economic activities without any perceptible hitches, as many people were in the high spirit to receive the visiting president in the neighbourhood.
Then came the boom!!
It is, however, pertinent to note that the explosion failed to deter the president from inaugurating the “legacy projects”.
Residents of the area, who are certainly peace-loving, were obviously taken aback by the blast, perhaps except for the vile perpetrators, as nobody had a premonition of the incident.
Pa Omeiza Suleiman, a community leader in Okene, said: “Nobody in his or her slightest figment of imagination ever thought that this heinous crime would ever rear its ugly head today or any other day in Okene, given the peaceful atmosphere which has become the norm in the town for quite some time now.
“Within minutes, panic, sorrow and anguish set in and many homes as well as families became bereaved, with some other persons expressing sympathy to the bereaved or rushing injured relatives to various hospitals for treatment, leaving us with a bitter pill to swallow.
“Besides the human tragedy brought about by the terrible development, the traditional institution was not totally spared of the ordeal, as the explosion also affected parts of Azad, the Palace of the Ohinoyi of Ebiraland, Dr. Ado Ibrahim.
Many citizens and residents of the town moan that the last Thursday of the year 2022, was a frightening day in the annals of Okene — a day that can never be forgotten in a hurry.
As security agencies begin investigations to unearth the root cause(s) of the violence and bring its masterminds to justice, the Kogi State Government has described the incident as the handiwork of some enemies of progress.
Retired Navy Commander Jerry Omodara, Security Adviser to Kogi Governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, made this declaration in a telephone interview with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lokoja on Thursday.
Omodara said that the state government had earlier received some intelligence reports, which indicated that something like that would happen.
His words: “This explains why we had enough deployment of security personnel across the state, to be able to frustrate their efforts,” he said.
“Unfortunately, in spite of the arrangements, the enemies of progress still tried to distract President Muhammadu Buhari’s visit to Kogi by setting that explosion.
“All the same, the deployment and tight security around didn’t allow them to achieve their aim.
“This government can authoritatively say that the cause of the blast was solely the act of misguided politicians and people who don’t want anything good for our state.
“We are aware of some disgruntled politicians celebrating the sad incident that happened today in Okene where some innocent people lost their lives.
“As a government, we believe that issues of security must concern everyone and until we all put our hands on deck, it will affect us in one way or the other.
“The people who died today are some persons’ children, brothers or relations; so, it must concern all of us.
“But for some politicians to celebrate the blast is very unfortunate and not the kind of politics that can move us forward in this state and the nation as a whole.”
Omodara, however, expressed delight that the plot of the perpetrators was frustrated, noting that the visit of the president was very successful, as he inaugurated several milestone projects of Gov. Bello that had direct bearing on the lives of the people of the state.
He said: “Let it be a sound of warning to the disgruntled politicians that Kogi State will continue to be on top in area of security in this country, as far as Governor Bello’s administration is concerned.
“His (Bello’s) interest is to have peace in Kogi State and nothing can distract him from achieving that.
“We are suspecting the man that perished in the car as the one who brought the bomb or explosive to disrupt the programme for today.
“Already, samples have been taken, both human and vehicle parts; the police and other security agencies investigating the incident will determine what exactly happened.The police and other security agencies will definitely come up with their reports for the public to know.
“We are not resting on our oars until the culprits are caught and brought to book.“As a government, we sympathise and commiserate with those families that lost their loved ones in the explosion.
Commenting on the incident, Comrade Abdul Idris Miliki, Executive Director, Conscience for Human Rights and Conflict Resolution (CHRCR), Lokoja, called on the Kogi State Government to constitute an independent investigation panel to unearth those behind the explosion, while describing the blast as worrisome, unfortunate and condemnable.
“While we await the reports of various security agencies on the avoidable incident, we also sympathise with the families of the affected persons.
“It is regrettable that such an act could take place at the time President Muhammadu Buhari was officially visiting the state. This makes it more worrisome.
“Again, this development is frightening, as we have less than 60 days to the 2023 general elections in Nigeria.
“We call on security agencies to put all measures in place to avoid such unfortunate and embarrassing circumstances in the state,” he said.
From all indications, all hands remain crossed, as concerned citizens eagerly await the outcome of the investigation into the incident but perceptive observers of the happenings in Kogi Central Senatorial District, particularly in the political sphere, have been pointing at the criminal dimensions of Nigerian politics.
They, therefore, call on the political class in the district, especially Okene, to ponder over how they can play politics, according to the rules of the game, to ensure lasting peace and development, particularly as the preparation towards the 2023 general election gradually reaches a crescendo.
They insist that political stability can be achieved if politicians imbibe the spirit of peace and tolerance, while reminding them that the basic aim of politics is the improvement of the state of affairs of a human society, and not for selfish, aggrandisement or indulging in crass privatisation, to the detriment of the masses.
Pa. Abraham Onumoh,septenegarian, also has a word admonition for political leaders in Ebiraland.
He says, The whole world is turning attention to Ebiraland as general elections gather momentum.
“Our political leaders have a great task to accomplish in ensuring a peaceful,credible and rancour-free electíon by checking the conduct of their followers against negative activities, especially during election.
“Parents on the other hand in the Ebiraland should also make sure that they guide and guard the behaviour of their children against ungodly actions before,during and after the polls.
“Security agencies in the state, particularly in the central senatorial district of the state, need to increase efforts in safe guarding life and property, before,during and after electíons.
In a nutshell, various segments of the population of Ebiraland, including elders and youths as well as community leaders, all have crucial roles to play in promoting a systemic growth of the neighbourhood, while guarding against the evolution of a state of anomie.
Dada Ahmed publishes The Reporters.
ahmeddada008@gmail.com.