KELVIN OF KOKORI SERIES - PART 1
On Wednesday, September 19, Delta State most wanted criminal, Kelvin Ibruvwe reportedly made a surprise return to his Kokori hometown in Ethiope East LGA and in his arrest in early. We chronicle the criminal career of the hoodlum known as Kelvin of Kokori
Since his criminal escapades propelled him into the top list of Niger Deltan most wanted criminal, Kelvin Ibruvwe, had become a mystery of sort. He is so popularly that he is known simply by his first name. He is not unlike Lawrence Anini, the infamous Nigerian armed robbery kingpin whose fame and notoriety spread through the country in the mid-80s.
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| Kelvin and LiMUP |
Scores of verified and unverified sorties were attributed to him, so much so that he became known as the cat with nine lives.
Kelvin's notoriety as a crime lord was cemented in 2012 when his brazen kidnap operation and deadly high profile armed robbery operation in Warri, Eku, Abraka and other parts of state. He was also fingered as the ring leader of a vast kidnap syndicate which operation spread beyond the state.
He singlehanded placed his Kokori home town, one of the sub-clans that make up Agbon Kingdom in Ethiope East Local Government Area, on the world map, but for the wrong reason. The town has been tagged the headquarters of kidnappers in the Niger Delta region.
Reliable police sources said eight of every 10 robbery operations in the Osubi-Eku- Agbor axis of the state were either planned in Kokori or executed by gunmen trained by the young man.
The reputation of the Urhobo town was not helped by reports that some prominent chiefs were shielding him and his criminal gangs from the law. He was declared wanted by the Delta State Police Command earlier this year. The Commissioner of Police, Mr. Ikechukwu Aduba, said the efforts of the police to arrest him were thwarted by community leaders in the area.
As bloody as he had been, Kelvin outperformed himself when he led a team to secure the release of his ally and fellow kidnap suspect, who was awaiting trial at the Okere prison in Warri. Rufus, the suspect, and other suspects were being taken by wardens for a court appearance when the accosted them and opened fire on the prison vehicle, killing at least three wardens and two civilians before freeing their man.
Their getaway was as loud as the operation: they shot their way through the heavy traffic from Okere Road, through the NPA Expressway to Effurun Roundabout, where they left trails of blood, bloodied victims, bullet-riddled cars and thousands of panic-stricken residents in their wake.
One Kingdom, two monarchs
The reign of the crime lord went side by side with that of the Agbon monarch, HRM Ogurimerime, Ukori I. Reliable sources in the kingdom said the pronouncement of the 20something year-old hoodlum carried more weight that of the monarch, who the state governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan, delayed presentation of a staff of office because of the atrocities of Kelvin.
Worried by the disgrace his activities had brought to the kingdom, leaders of the area decided to act. In one of their meetings over the sordid state of affairs and the disgrace of being tagged 'Kidnappers Kingdom', they met. Some suggested that the criminal should be rounded up and handed to the law. Days after, at least two of those who backed call for Kelvin's arrest in the meeting were shot dead, sang froid, in broad day light.
The incident led to concern among well-meaning members of the kingdom that there the criminal had infiltrated the ranks and files of the kingdom and justified CP Aduba's claim that members of Kokori and neighbouring communities were shielding the criminal from the law.
The criminals also ambushed and slaughtered at least one soldier and wounded three others attached to a Joint Task Force (JTF) checkpoint in one of the roads leading to the town.
In response, the task force invade and threw a thick cordon of security personnel round the town. The Commander of 3 Battalion of the Nigeria Army, Lt Col Ifeanyi Otu personally led several operations to snare Kelvin
The suffocating presence of security personnel in the town brought a brief respite, which led to Governor Uduaghan presenting the staff of office to James Omeru, a former Chairman of Niger Cat Construction Company, who had been selected as the Ovie of Agbon Kingdom. He adopted the title Ogurimerime Ukori I.
Last ditch amnesty ploy and Liberation Movement of Urhobo People rally
Still the security forces, including JTF, police and State Security Service (SSS), continued an intensive manhunt for the renegade. Sources in the area said Kelvin was confined to a section of the forest in the area, where usually moved in the dead of the night. A newspaper report, which speculated that the wanted criminal had sneaked out of the country to the Republic of Benin, later turned out to be untrue.
The Nation reliably gathered that when security dragnet closed in on him, Kelvin made desperate effort to top official of the state government. "He offered to surrender if the government would be granted him amnesty," our source said.
It was gathered that Governor Uduaghan, who was approached about the offer turned it down, insisting that Kelvin had committed too many atrocities and killed too many innocent persons to get a soft landing.
It was in the midst of his desperate effort for immunity from his crimes that he allegedly resurfaced in Kokori on Thursday, September 19 to declare his preparedness to fight for the emancipation of the Urhobo people.
He gave the Federal Government 60 day ultimatum to meet his demands in order to avert disaster. The story was that he stormed the community with masked youths armed with dangerous weapons. He was reportedly welcome by hundreds of dancing women and children, who described him as their saviour and a freedom fighter.
When our reporter visited Kokori community in the wake of the report, the community was calm, but the prevailing peace was the eerie graveyard type.
The three entry points through Eku, Isiokolo and Orogun were all manned by either stern-faced soldiers or policemen. There were also several security checkpoints manned by police as well as motorized patrols by troops. A military post at the popular Isiokolo junction leading to Agbon clan a few kilometers away watches activity into the community.
As one approaches the community through the Isiokolo axis, tension pervade in the air, so thick it could be felt. Although residents went about their daily business, the air of unease and apprehension was tangible.
The people were friendly, until our reporter mentioned his name. Friendly, smiling faces became inscrutable mask; sociable smiles become scowl or burning glare.
Several residents we tried to interview rebuffed the offer and even feigned ignorance of the reported media briefing by “Kelvin of Kokori”. Those who volunteered information swore that there was a rally at Erijere Primary School, which they did not attend.
"I was not there, but my brothers' friend said he was there and he saw Kelvin," a source in the town volunteered.
One of the reporters who 'witnessed' the ground-shaking event also could not provide our reporter with satisfactory information on the event. When asked if he indeed saw Kelvin, the reporter said, "I didn’t see him completely because they wore mask. But I knew it must be him (Kelvin) because his mask was different from the others and it marked him out as their leader."
Similarly, our efforts to get in touch with a 'chief' who reportedly spoke with reporters at the rally proved abortive. Nobody in Kokori seemed to know the woman whose face donned the pages of some national dailies last Friday.
Kelvin, a Robin Hood
However, an unemployed youth, who simply identified himself as Mudiaga, advised the government to pay heed to the demands of the militant group by bringing development to the community, adding that unemployment was pervasive.
Those familiar with the activities of the hoodlum said he was very free with money. One of his kinsmen described him as a 'cheerful giver'. "He doles out money freely and those in his good books enjoy him very well."
When I asked my interviewee how it is possible for a major event such as purportedly occurred in the community, he accused the security agencies of working hand in glove with the kidnap kingpin.
But a prominent Urhobo leader denied that the ethnic leaders condoned the activities of the criminal. He said they were afraid for their lives.
"It is not right to expect that a kingdom with high intellectual leaders like Kokori is comfortable with what is happening. But people are afraid to speak out because of fear of the unknown. We are afraid of Kelvin, the government and security agencies," he said.
End of the Road
The end came for Kelvin on Wednesday morning, when a crack team from the Department of State Security (DSS) from Abuja stormed the region to put an end to his bravado.
Ironically, it was gathered that the effrontery of the ultimatum quickened the operation. Reliable sources said the topmost echelon of the nation's security network were unnerved by the deadline and felt it was time to deal with the situation once and for all.
"The team from Abuja worked closely with the State Security Service, Asaba, which detailed a top official of the service in Warri to lead the local team."
It was gathered that Kelvin was trailed to Port Harcourt, in Rivers State, where he was apprehended at about 3:30am.
"When the team got to the hotel, they monitored him for several hours, possibly days, before the zoomed in on the target. When it was confirmed that he was locked in his room, the team sent for military backup.
At about the same time, a heavy detachment from the 3 Battalion, Effurun Barracks of the Nigeria Army, embarked on a convert operation in Kokori, his hometown. It was gathered that troops on ground where not given details of the operation, ostensibly to avoid compromise.
"When it was confirmed that the criminal had been arrested, the team on ground moved in with immediate reinforcement from neighbouring battalions.
When our reporter visited Kokori at about noon on Wednesday, a long convoy of combat-ready security operatives dressed in the all-black attire of the DSS was seen moving into the town through the Eku entry point.
Among those arrested by security operatives on Wednesday afternoon was a juju priest, who is believed to be the spiritual head of the criminal gang led by the notorious criminal, and several other youths, some of whom reportedly opened fire on security operatives to prevent the arrest of their leaders.
Reports that scores of persons, possibly youths of the communities died in the attack could not be independently confirmed at the time of this report on Wednesday evening.
Inhabitants of the hitherto sleepy town were however hoping that the staccato of gunfire would ebb out and bring the much needed peace, which has eluded Kokori in the past one year.
>>>>>>Culled from The Nation Newspaper of Friday, September 27, 2013
