Oko Crisis: Community Passes Vote Of No Confidence On Local Government Panel , Backs Out

                                 
Oko community yesterday rejected the committee set up by the local government to investigate the remote and immediate cause of mayhem in the Federal Polytechnic Community that led to burning of house and vehicles belonging to Igwe Laz Ekwueme and a lecturer Meta Meta Nwankwo among others. 


The community in a letter rejecting the committee led by Chief Paul Nwafor said most members of the committee have vested interests especially the committee chairman Chief Nwafor who is a contractor and has a multi million project he is handling in Oko Polytechnic, adding that such a person could not be neutral.
The letter by the community was signed by the President General Cyprian Nwanmuo and the Onowu of Oko Ichie Martin Anaeto. They passed a vote of no confidence on the committee accusing most members of being biased on the issue before becoming members of the committee.   
The community said it wants the state government to set up a Judicial Commission of Inquiry to look into the crisis as it is beyond what the local government could handle.
A member of the community Ernest Nwafor confirmed to this reporter that the letter has been submitted even as he denied that the community was planning a protest today against Prof Onu Godwin , The Rector of the Polytechnic for his alleged sponsorship of the youths against the community adding that an overwhelming evidence heave been obtained on how the youths were incited and mobilized against the Monarch and community.
But in a swift reaction the chairman of the Panel , Chief Nwafor denied having any local contract in the Polytechnic adding that he has no business with the Polytechnic but if the community does not want him as the Chairman of the Panel that he had no problems with that but reminded the community that they would not detect to the government what it would do and how it would do it.
He said the committee has not seen their letter but will sit today to know if there is such letter from the secretariat but when demanding from this reporter if the community said the Polytechnic is the problem went further to add that if the Rectorship of the Polytechnic is the problem of the community then there is a problem.
Nwafor said: ‘’ I have not heard about the letter until we get to the panel tomorrow (today). The Secretary has not told me anything . They are afraid that I wont bend the rules. I have not heard from anybody. If in the process of investigation and they call the Rector we would invite him to say his part. I have no business in  Oko community and the committee would be fair and just to all parties’’.  
Meanwhile there is tension in Oko community and environs following a ban of protest by the Police. The community had allegedly planned to protest against Prof Onu but the Anambra State Police Command issued a stern warning to deal seriously with any group of persons who engage in any form of protest in Oko community without its approval.
A press release signed by the Police Public Relations Officer of the command, DSP Emeka Chukwuemeka stated that the command has uncovered plot by a group of persons in Oko Community to engage in illegal street protest.
Chukwuemeka said that the police will not hesitate to make any person, no matter how highly placed who embarks on any form of protest without clarification from the police to face the full wrath of the law.
Part of the release read that: “in the light of recent developments in the community, the command warns that anybody no matter how highly placed who embarks on any form of protest would be made to face the full wrath of the law. The command reassures the general public of its readiness to protect all law abiding citizens of the state”.
It would be recalled that the crisis of confidence rocking the Polytechnic and the community led to purported sponsoring of youths against the monarch Igwe Laz Ekwueme and the Town union President Chief Cyprian Nwanmuo as well as Mr Meta Meta Nwankwo among others supporting the community’s plan to remove Prof Onu from the Institution over alleged self serving plans.
Already with the setting ablaze of the traditional ruler, Igwe Laz Ekwueme’s three vehicles and vandalizing and looting his palace as well as burning of Meta Meta’s Guest house among motorcycles burnt and stolen thing shave fallen apart and the center could no longer hold.
The community is alleging that some youths of the community constituting the  nuisance were paid for to storm the government house in protest last week against their revered Igwe, accusing him of high handedness, while also demanding for his sack.

That the community said is laughable and could not realized even as they insisted Prof Onu must be removed or the Federal Polytechnic Oko would not contain them. They ahd threatened police to be on set to shoot all Oko people as they would take over the Polytechnic gates until Prof Onu is removed.
The Unions in the Polytechnic are waiting for national call off of strike to start their own war with the management led by Prof Onu.