The Och’etoha K’Idoma Forum Worldwide has issued a sharp rebuke against security forces, claiming they ignored specific intelligence provided by the Och’Idoma, Dr. Elaigwu Odogbo Obagaji, ahead of violent raids in Akpachi-Ugboju and Otukpo-Nobi. The organization, represented by Professor Yakubu Aboki Ochefu and Chief Dr. Paul Ede, asserts that the loss of at least 20 lives was entirely avoidable had officials acted on the warnings received.
The group holds security agencies partially responsible for the deaths, arguing that negligence is as culpable as the violence itself. Among the victims identified were Onche, Ujah, Adoji, Juliet Ona, and Eyum, while individuals like Efada Ohepo and Ebedigidi sustained injuries.
Beyond the immediate tragedy, the forum denounced the unfair treatment of residents, contrasting the swift arrest of locals following the death of Fulani leader Ardo Risku Mohammed with the lack of action against those openly threatening Idoma communities online. With reports of armed groups assembling in local forests, the forum has formally petitioned President Bola Tinubu, Governor Hyacinth Alia, and federal security heads to intervene immediately by securing vulnerable regions, releasing those unjustly detained in Ohimini, and offering support to those affected by the violence.
