Some suspected hoodlums on Saturday attacked the palace of Etsu Lokoja, HRH Emmanuel Akamisoko Dauda-Shelika, Nyamkpa IV, and burnt his car and properties inside the premises.
The palace which is situated on plot 306, New Structure, Lokoja, was allegedly attacked by hoodlums at about 1:00 am on Saturday, who burnt his autos whereas the monarch narrowly escaped by scaling the fence.
Our reporter gathered that Nupe Natives of Lokoja Growth Union have been planning to host the 2nd Version of Nupe Natives finish of the yr occasion, tagged: “Lokoja ’24 Nupe Cultural Fiesta”, on Dec. 21, 2024, earlier than the incident occurred.
The occasion was, nonetheless, aborted because of the unlucky assault, when many Nupe natives from neighbouring states had began arriving on the eve of the occasion.
Narrating his ordeal to our correspondent who visited the scene on Monday, the monarch stated: “It was round 1 am at night time that I had a giant bang on my door and I woke as much as test via the window, questioning what may have occurred.
“Then, I out of the blue noticed wildfire popping out of my automotive because it had been set ablaze by attackers. I knew it was an assault on the palace, and due to this fact I couldn’t come out due to concern of being attacked. So, I managed to come back out via the again door and scaled the fence to flee for my life.
“Thereafter, I got here out to the street and realised that every one my neighbours in the neighborhood have been on the bottom making an attempt arduous to quench the fireplace, however sadly the automotive was burnt, in addition to different properties inside it.”
Dauda-Shelika appealed to the federal government and safety businesses to research the reason for the assault and convey the perpetrators and their sponsors to justice.
He, nonetheless, appealed to the Nupe natives in Lokoja, to keep away from any type of reprisal however proceed to stay peaceable, and law-abiding and permit authorities and safety businesses to conduct thorough investigations on the assault.
“We’re interesting to His Excellency, Alhaji Ahmed Usman Ododo, and safety businesses to please use their good places of work to research this unlucky incident and convey to justice whoever is anxious whether or not straight or not directly.
“We additionally need the federal government to kindly go to our points by recognising and grading the stool of Etsu Lokoja which had been in existence earlier than colonisation. By formally recognising and grading the Etsu Lokoja stool, we all know every thing can be laid to relaxation as a result of that’s the energy of the federal government.
“If the federal government stay silent and appears away, it leaves the door open for this type of factor to occur. And as a folks, we is not going to wish to see such issues proceed to occur. I urge my folks to stay as peaceable and law-abiding as now we have all the time been as a result of this incident has drawn the eye of the federal government to our problem,” Dauda-Sheika added.
He famous that the Govt Chairman of Lokoja LGA and his safety equipment got here for an on-the-spot evaluation that Saturday morning in addition to the Police, DSS and NSCDC.
He added, “The DPO, ‘A’ Division was additionally right here along with his males upon listening to the incident to determine what truly occurred. All of them condemned the ugly incident in robust phrases. We’ve additionally been invited to the Police station and now we have written our assertion.
“Nupe individuals are law-abiding and we’re not identified for violence. No one in Lokoja will classify Nupe folks as violent and lawbreakers, no! We like accommodating everybody. And that’s the reason different tribes like marrying our daughters.”
Talking on the doable explanation for the assault, Dauda-Sheika stated, “I believe it needs to be stated appropriately stated; Lokoja is historically Nupe and we have been planning to have the annual Nupe Cultural Fiesta that we had final yr.
“That was why we despatched out letters of invitation to all of the related stakeholders together with the media, and safety businesses such because the Police, NSCDC, and DSS, in addition to extending invites to all different ethnic teams in Lokoja such because the Ebira, Yoruba, Oworo, Igala, Igbo communities to come back and rejoice with us and our tradition.
“We additionally prolonged the invitation to Maigari of Lokoja being the Chairman of Lokoja Native Authorities Conventional Council, to come back and be the Particular Royal Father of the day. However to our amazement, reasonably than accepting our invitation, the Maigari faulted it, and wrote again to us, saying, ‘Our letter lacks royal courtesy’ as a result of we didn’t embrace the Chairman, Lokoja Conventional Council in our letter.
“The Maigari additionally went forward in his letter to say that there’s nothing like ‘Etsu Lokoja’. So, we marvel how will you say there isn’t any Etsu Lokoja when now we have existed even earlier than the colonialists got here, and now we have our personal approach of administering ourselves abinitio.
“We have been the sooner settlers right here, and it has all the time been Etsu Lokoja earlier than the colonialists got here. In an try and arrange their very own factor, the colonialists put collectively this association, and right this moment now we have a Maigari. However now we have no downside with that in any respect as a result of now we have lived collectively peacefully for a few years”, he stated.
He harassed that the federal government was conscious of the efforts and buildings that the management of Nupe Natives in Lokoja had put in place to facilitate the federal government’s recognition of the Etsu Lokoja stool, to have the ability to administer themselves freely as an ethnic group.
He added, “So, the aborted cultural fiesta was by no means a coronation ceremony because it was being interpreted in some quarters, however a cultural celebration as a result of the problem of coronation may be very mundane. A very powerful factor for us is the set up of Etsu Lokoja which we did on January 23, 2024. We additional did a public reenactment of that set up once more on July 27, 2024, on the mountain which was the basis of Lokoja, and can ship a letter of reminder to the federal government on the necessity to acknowledge and grade Etsu stool.
“We even have a compendium of all our actions that now we have completed which was additionally despatched to the State Authorities in addition to all the safety businesses. We’re ensuring as law-abiding folks to observe ideas and due course of as a result of we’re not violent however very clever and builders that add worth when now we have the liberty to take action. The federal government has recognized Lokoja as a Cosmopolitan metropolis and that’s the reason they’ve chosen to establish, acknowledge and grade sure ethnic teams together with the Ohi Anebira of Lokoja, Onu Igala of Lokoja, Oba Yoruba of Lokoja, Maigari Lokoja for Housa, in addition to Etsu Lokoja.
“So, the Nupe folks need to be recognised and have a graded stool of Etsu Lokoja which had been in existence lengthy earlier than the colonialists got here. That is to make sure equity, fairness and justice in order that we will all the time trust within the actions of the federal government, and we wish to all the time take part within the growth of the land.
“We aren’t pleased that we’re sidetracked; we wish to be a part of the gamers as a result of we have been one of many early settlers however we’re not within the scheme of issues. We wish to be included as a result of we should not have one other dwelling, Lokoja is our dwelling and now we have nowhere to go like others. What occurs to our kids and unborn generations if we refuse to get issues proper now,” Dauda-Shelika stated.
Additionally talking, the Nationwide President, Nupe Natives of Lokoja Union, Alh. Abubakar Ndashite, stated the occasion scheduled for Saturday, December 21, was a celebration of Nupe Cultural heritage and never any type of coronation as being insinuated from some quarters.
He expressed his displeasure over the aborted cultural occasion, noting that the union had expended a lot of it, and urged the federal government to convey perpetrators to e book.
When our correspondent visited the palace, the police officer declined to make feedback as he claimed to not have been authorised to talk on the matter.
Efforts to get the state police command to react proved abortive as the general public relations officer, SP William Aya, didn’t take repeated calls to his cell quantity. He additionally didn’t reply to a textual content message despatched to him.
Our correspondent additionally made spirited efforts to get the Safety Adviser to talk on the event to no avail as he didn’t take repeated calls to his cell phone quantity.
He has additionally not responded to a textual content message despatched to him on the time of filling this report.