Blank NEWS Online can authoritatively report that the leadership of Otu Odu Ahaba, an all-female cultural society in Anioma area of Delta State, is currently enmeshed in crisis bordering on finance, intimidation and assault on members as police have waded into the matter with a view to bringing the leaders to book.
Police involvement followed a petition by one of the leading members and former member of Delta State House of Assembly, Hon (Mrs.) Chinwe Monu-Olarewaju, alleging that some of the members ganged up and molested her in the residence of their President, Chief (Mrs.) Theodora Giwa-Amu.
In the petition titled “Criminal Petition Against Mrs. Theodora Giwa-Amu, Mrs. Mariam Sampson and Mrs. Eva Nwanze”, dated March 6, 2019 and addressed to the Commissioner of Police, Delta State, Mrs. Olarewaju alleged that on February 19, 2019, Mrs. Nwanze called her on telephone to report at the president’s house on Jesus Saves Road, Asaba.
According to her, she rushed to the venue and met the trio only to be challenged for being too outspoken after a doctored tape allegedly bearing her voice was played, stressing that in the presence of the president; she was strangled and held hostage for almost three hours.
She explained that the president later passed a ruling directing her to apologize to those that attacked her.
“I realized that the president’s judgment did not follow the constitutional procedure of punishing erring members. She gave her judgment single handedly without bringing my offence before the whole house. Obviously, one can say this is jungle justice”, she stated.
She alleged that the same group had years ago lured her to unknowingly over pay for her installation fees which they allegedly later used to install two other persons without account, adding that recently she was singled out and unjustly fined N15, 000 for an alleged offence involving most of the members.
Mrs. Olarewaju called on the Commissioner of Police to investigate the alleged criminal matter and bring all those involved in the matter to book.
A senior police officer at the command’s headquarters disclosed that the President of the group had reported and agreed to volunteer statement but two other members were on the run, adding that police have mounted manhunt for them.
When contacted, the acting Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Mr. Chuks Orisewezie, ASP, confirmed that operatives of the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), had commenced investigations into the matter and had extended invitation to defendants.
He confirmed that the president, had visited the investigating officers in the command but could not be interrogated due to her ill health, adding that she complained of knee cap problem whereby she cannot alight from the motor vehicle that brought her.
According to him, she was given time to go and treat herself and then appear at a later date to make statement on the allegation by the complainant.
In an interview with newsmen, Mrs. Olarewju, while calling on the police to expedite action on her petition, alleged that the president had been accusing her of spreading lies among the group members and using the police to harass the leadership, calling on the members to disregard such allegation and prevail on the alleged culprits to report on the police to answer their charges.
