Tension is steadily building up in the sleepy town of Oraifite in Ekwusigo Local Government Area of Anambra State following allegation and counter-allegation over the activities of an illustrious son of the community, Sir Emeka Offor, who a section of the community accused of infringing on the human rights of many people in the area.

In defence of Offor, the community’s umbrella body, Oraifite Improvement Union (OIU), said that Offor is not guilty of the accusations levelled against him saying that he had rather used his personal resources to help in the development of the town and therefore deserved to be commended and given the desired respect.

A group, Concerned Citizens of Oraifite, had at a news conference in the town accused the multi-millionaire businessman of using the police to intimidate other illustrious sons of the community.

The allegations they reeled out include using police to intimidate some people which include; Collins Maduabuchi, Mike Okon, Autin Offorji, Boniface Okonkwo, Mrs. Ngozi Obi, a widow, Arthur Nworah Muozube Okechukwu, Anthony Obi and Sunday Igboanuzue, among others and detained them at various times at the Special Anti Robbery Squad (SARS).

Spokesman of the group, Mr. Frank Chukwuka, a lawyer, said their people now live in fear because of Offor as anybody who complained about his activities always ended up in Police cell.

The group said that Offor had driven most of the intellectuals in the town, including a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Mr. Chuks Muoma, and a former member of the House of Assembly, Mr. H C. Nsofor, out of the community, while others were afraid to speak out for fear of being harassed.

But the President General of OIU, Dr. G.S. Okeke, and the General Secretary, Mr. Tochukwu Anazodo, as well as all the traditional heads of the various villages in the town, dismissed the allegations, insisting that Oraifite was not in any terrible security situation.

They said: “Oraifite is safe for both indigenes and non-indigenes and it is not in any way terrorized by Sir Emeka Offor.

“Sir Emeka Offor has brought a lot of developmental strides in Oraifite among which are the constructions of Emeka Offor road, the Eme Court road, providing employment for many sons and daughters of Oraifite both in private and public sectors.

“Those who raised allegations against him are strictly on their own and are not speaking for any Oraifite citizen of any standing or status.”

Earlier, the duo of former Majority leader of the Anambra State House of Assembly, Hon Humphery Nsofor and Chief Hon. Chuks Muomah (SAN) and a human rights lawyer had in a press conference held in Awka accused Offor of human rights abuse in the community.

Muomah described the situation as not only terrible but one that invokes tears from the eyes of the citizenry.

He said: “The town of Oraifite has experienced flagrant breach of fundamental rights which has hitherto made the town unsafe for dwellers.

“Our children are being arrested and taken away without due process. Some of them detained and eventually released, others never come back to their homeland and they are missing till tomorrow.

“The intellectuals in my community have let me down, they decided to succumb and sell their intellectualism rather than stand up against a single young man who has decided to flout section 4 of the Nigerian Constitution.”

Muomah further accused Offor of flouting the laws of the land and intermeddling in the affairs that make up Oraifite.

On his part, Nsofor called for the trial of James Nwafor, a former Operations Commander of SARS located in Awkuzu, Oyi Local Government Area of the state saying that he was the tool allegedly used by Offor to perpetrate the arrests in Oraifite.

He said; “We want the Federal, State and Local Government authorities to put an end to the impunity perpetrated by Mr. Wilson Orakwue (Emeka Offor) or any other person. We desire the rule of law and not the rule of the jungle.”

Update news