Kelvin of Kokori: Why youths attacked Agbon king

Part 4

Why Kelvin's gang members attacked monarch 

Fresh facts emerged yesterday on Friday's attack on the palace of Ovie of Agbon Kingdom in Kokori, Ethiope East Local Government Area of Delta State, HRM Ogurimerime, Ukori1, by armed youths suspected to be members of Kelvin Oniarah-led gang.

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate in next Saturday's Delta Central Senatorial District Bye-election, Chief Emmanuel Aguarivwodo, Ukori 1 and the Ovie of Oruarivie-Abraka, Akpomeyoma Majoroh, Ojeta II, and at least two members of the House of Representatives narrowly escaped death in the attack.

The PDP team was in the monarch's palace when armed youths, suspected to be members of Kelvin Oniarah-led gang in the area, locked them inside the expansive palace and opened fire on them.

The Nation gathered that the attack was targeted at the embattled monarch of the crime-ridden community, HRM Ogurimerime Ukori 1, whose whereabouts was unknown at the time of this report.

No fewer than 20 cars, including two security Toyota Hilux vans, were either burnt or smashed by the rampaging armed gang.

The Urhobo community had been embroiled in crisis since last Wednesday when Oniarah, who is fingered for numerous high profile kidnap and other nefarious crimes in and around the state was arrested in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

Our investigation revealed that the target of the Friday's attack was the Kokori monarch and some PDP stalwarts, fingered for the arrest of Oniarah.

Rumour had been rife in the kingdom that the crime lord was setup by the monarch allegedly under the pretext of arranging a meeting that would bring peace to his beleaguered kingdom.

Besides, it was gathered that a section Kokori youths were unhappy that while the community was embroiled in crisis and people were suffering from the pang of military invasion, their monarch was playing host to members of the PDP.

"The problem in Kokori was caused in the first place by the PDP, who armed these boys and used them to rig elections into their various offices. The monarch too was installed by the PDP, we all know that," a community source stated.

Our source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said, "We all know that the king (Ukori 1) is or was a member of the PDP, he served on the board of Niger Cat under Ibori (former Governor James Ibori), a PDP governor."

Speaking in the same vein, another source, in a telephone conversation with our reporter, said, "The (PDP) rally was disrupted by some aggrieved youths of Kokori. Their grievance was that rather than using his position to find lasting solution to the suffering of his people, he (monarch) was only interested in the success of his political party."

 Meanwhile, there was uneasy calm in the community on Saturday in the wake of Friday's violence and subsequent takeover of the community by troops.

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