By Douglas Blessing
An 80 year old paramount ruler of Ejama-Ebubu community in Eleme Local government area of Rivers State, Chief Augustus Alalina Nyonwi was among those allegedly subjected to intensive interrogation that lasted for several hours by the Rivers State Criminal Investigation Department, (SCID), over the community N45billion compensation from a multinational, Shell Petroleum Development Company.
The interrogation which started at about 12 noon, ended at about 5 pm on Friday, involving members of the 13-member disbursement committee of Ejamah-Ebubu, Eleme Local Government Area(LGA), of Rivers state.
It would be recalled that the sum of N45billion was disbursed to the community for compensation over oil pollution resulting to had serious damage on the environment. The disbursement of fund came after about 30 years of legal battle between the community and the multinational.
Following disagreement by some aggrieved members of the community on how the money was shared, members of the Committee in charge of the money sharing were invited to the police on petition against them.
Having been on the matter for period of time, members of the Committee who did not refused the police investigation of the sharing, appealed that journeying to Abuja from time to time is too hectic for them, particularly Chief Augustus Nyonwii who is 80 years of age and Chairman of the disbursement committee.
But with the recent development, the committee members said it was better than being dragged to Abuja as has been the practice in the past.
They thanked the Inspector General of Police, Usman Baba for getting the officers to obey court judgement in a case bothering on disbursement of oil spill compensation funds, which they handled.
The members also expressed the gratitude to the state Commissioner of Police, Effiong Okon for his interventions which they suspected was the reason they were not arrested and detained by the Police after their invitation at the state criminal Investigation Department (SCID), in Port Harcourt.
The C-13 who spoke through their Lawyer, Ayodele Salami expressed satisfaction in the outcome of the Police invitation to his clients, saying that it was within the provisions of the court order in an ongoing court case on the matter.
Salami said, “I can confirm to you that the meeting between my clients C-13 and the Police yesterday went very well, my clients said statements were taken from them and aftershock they were asked to go home and come back in a date in January.
“I am grateful to the IGP and the CP here in the state for their quick intervention, after the media outburst last time, what transpired yesterday was contrary to what had been going on, so we’re happy that the Police hierarchy has done swift and great job here.
“Again contrary to the feelers we got before the C-13 got to the Police that already some officers from Force headquarters in Abuja were already around to take them down to Abuja as usual, it was confirmed again that there was no such thing.
“What is happening now is what the court judgement said that the police should do, invite the men from time to time to get statements from them to facilitate their investigations and let them go afterwards, but they were not doing it untill the step we took recently to involve the media.
“Even in the ongoing case, there is also a court order restraining the Police from harassing, arresting, and detaining them either in the state or taking them outside the state in respect of the case intill judgement is delivered.”
The C-13 Spokesman reiterated the usual corporation of the members with the Police and the court throughout the matter to ensure smooth and successful resolution of all issues to the satisfaction of parties involved.
