No fewer than fourth stern-looking mobile policemen and anti terrorist squared were drafted to Obi-Anyima community in Ika South Local Government Area after the gruesome assassination of sixty-four years old Chief Aminowan A.U. Chiyem, the Eleme of Obi- Anyima clan.
According to the Olotu-uku of Ogbe-Obi in Obi Anyima clan, Mr. Gibert Omeleze, the late Eleme of Obi-Anyima, Chief Aminowan chiyem had many relatives. Amongst them is an elder brother of his, who had been fomenting troubles with him, even before he was made the Eleme of the village. Mr. Omeleze said that there was a time the Chief was suspended by HRM. Mustapha Muhammad Erenuma, the Obi of Abavo, and appointed Joseph Chiyem as the Administrator of the community, pending the confirmation of Chief Aminowan Chiyem as the substantive head of the village. “He went through many court cases before he was installed the Eleme of this community in 2009, “he said, adding that since then this half brother of the Chief (Names withheld) never made things easy for him, as he also used thugs to work against the ruling chief.
It go to a point when the Obi of Abavo had to invite both parties for a reconciliatory meeting. Function of the Chief and those of the eldest person in the community, known as the Okparan were spelt out to both Chief Chiyem and his half brother, who also is an Okparan in the community. He said however that the Okparan refused to abide by the guidelines handed them by the Obi of Abavo. “It got to a point where the Okpan started acting the function of both the Eleme and the Okparan at the same time. The obi of Abavo, he said, had insisted that it is the Eleme that is in charge, because his throne is hereditary, but that, that of the Okparan is not”, he said.
Mr. Omeleze said that on Sunday, May 15, 2011 both parties were summoned by the Obi of Abavo, to decide who would be the Youth leader and Secretary General of the community , including other issues to be discussed. On his way back from the meeting, between Obi-Anyima and the next village, just by the railway line, the Chief and his Secretary were accosted by three unknown youths who told them to get down from the bike. The secretary was told to lie face down, while one of the youths opened on the Eleme of Obi-Anyimah. He was shot at several times, leading to his death. His secretary who was spared by the unknown gun men, was said to have reported the matter to the community.
It was gathered that it was some persons who know the Chief very well, and were hiding somewhere on top of the overhead bridge, that alerted the hired assassin and also identified the Chief. It was further gathered that while the people were still in the palace of the Obi of Abavo, news came to them that the Eleme of Obi-Anyimah has been killed on his way home by unknown persons. Four of the Chief, from the village, including the half brother of the Eleme were immediately arrested by the police in Abavo. They were later taken to Asaba for investigations into the matter.
Prior to the incidence of May 15, 2011, it was gathered that some youths loyal to the half brother had, on Friday, May 13, unleashed terror on Obi-Anyima community, destroying everything in sight, in which one of them had a locally made pistol confiscated from him.
Mrs. Ebele Toyin Chiyem, wife of the Chief to Ika Weekly, that four a long time her husband’s half brother had been troubling him. “Even when the Eleme lost his father, he never relented in making troubles with him.
I want the law enforcement agents to look into the matter and bring those involved to justice”, she lamented.
Chief Aminowan A.U. Chiyem was a retired Police Officer, the civil servant in Benin and Asaba. He later returned to his home community to take its leadership. He was survived by his wife sons and daughters. His remains have been deposited at a mortuary while investigations into the matter continued.
Leave a Reply