… as community laments exit of Elano
A woman identified as Mrs. Godslove Olakada is now in Police custody after bathing her husband, Mr. Olakada Ejire, with a substance suspected to be diluted acid.
The acid attack happened during a fight between the couple over the 7.5 percent equity dividends paid to Agbonchia community by Indorama-Eleme Petrochemicals Ltd.
The husband is said to have refused to share with his wife the N15,000 he got from the Community Trust from Indorama.
According to an eye-witness, the wife got to know from a different source that payment had been made and this allegedly made her very angry. A fight was said to have ensued during which the mother of two poured the substance on the husband and took his automated teller machine (ATM) card and attempted to flee.
Luck was said to have ran out on her as she was caught while hiding inside a rooftop ceiling by members of a local vigilante group in the area, known as Nchia Security Council headed by one Abel Oluka, and other youths of Agbonchia community.
According to the Rivers State Police Command, the suspect (Mrs. Godslove Olakada), has been arrested by the police. The police source has assured that investigation is ongoing and the command would get to the root of the matter.
The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) clarified that it was boiling water, not acid.
The PPRO, SP Grace Iringe-Koko, said: “Rivers State Police operatives through credible intelligence arrested one Godslove Olakada ‘F,’ from Agbonchia Eleme on Saturday, at about 2030hrs for pouring hot water on her husband, one Olakada Ejire.
“He was rushed to Famo Hospital at Aleto Eleme for treatment. The cause was domestic family issue, and investigation has commenced to get to the root of the matter.”
While speaking, a member of Agbonchia community who gave his name as John Obarilomate claimed that members of the community were being shortchanged by the current managers of the 7.5 percent equity, accusing the host community trust of corruption and embezzlement.
He said, “In other communities, each person is getting up to N2.5 million, but here in Agbonchia they told us the population is too much and therefore only N15,000 gets to each community member.”
Prior to 2021, the dividends from the 7.5 percent equity shares, accruable to the host communities of Indorama Petrochemicals Ltd, namely, Agbonchia, Aleto, Akpajo, Akpakpan, Njuru, Okerewa and Wakohu community all in Eleme and Obio/Akpor Local Government Areas of Rivers State, were managed by Elano Investments Limited.
Elano had raised over N2.9 billion in the year 2009 to buy about 350,000 equity shares of the company on behalf of the host communities during the privatization of Eleme Petrochemicals Ltd by the Federal Government.
But in 2017, members of the host communities dragged Elano Investments Limited to court over alleged misappropriation of the dividends’ funds. The matter which was adjudicated from the Federal High Court in Port Harcourt to the Appeal Court and up to the Supreme Court, saw to the direct payment of dividends by Indorama directly to the host communities.
Meanwhile, members of the host communities have now raised the alarm over alleged corruption and embezzlement of the dividends’ funds currently ongoing under the host community trust, saying that the funds were better managed by Elano than it was today.
