Concerned Mosogar Citizens in collaboration with Conference for the Actualisation of Human Rights CAHR on Saturday March 19, 2022 took to the streets of Mosogar, a community in Ethiope West local government area of Delta state.
The outing was to protest eight years total blackout in the community.
The protest was led by CAHR leader and President UPU Youth wing, activist Kelly Efemena Umukoro and the leadership of Concerned Mosogar Citizens.
However, as the protest progressed, the DPO in Mosogar CSP Bello engaged the protesting group, giving security reasons why the protest should be aborted.
He explained that the timing for the protest was wrong as an important activity was ongoing in the town which attracted the Delta CP Ari Mohammed Ali to deploy several tactical teams to the town to instill law and order.
He noted that protest was the fundamental right of every citizen but when security reports are ignored the inevitable was bound to happen.
He said a political declaration of one of the political bigwigs in the area was ongoing.
He said if the protest continued, the process might be hijacked and supporters of the politician may attack which could lead to chaos, a development which could metamorphos to breakdown of law and order.
He appealed to the protesters to abort the protest and slate it for another day.
Activist Umukoro who led the protest told Emerald News that as law-abiding citizens and a civil rights group, the group remains nonpolitical and would not be seen as one.
He appreciated the DPO for his professionalism and accepted his appeal.
Umokoro announced that the protest was aborted over security reports and gave relevant authorities a one-week ultimatum to get things done, promising to restrategise and consult more with relevant authorities before taking to the streets again if the needful was not done.
He further stated that the restoration of electricity back to Mosogar town was sacrosanct and all hands must be on deck for that purpose.
He decried the total blackout which has snowballed to eight years without power supply in the town.
In his word, “we’re saddened by this occurrence and as a people, we can no longer seat while this goes out of hand.
“Severally, the concerned citizens have taken to the streets in protest on their own.
“There are reports that they have contributed money in the time past almost amounting to fifteen million naira for the light restoration which was allegedly handed over to a chief in the area.
“Several times they’ve protested and been labeled and unlawfully arrested and it took my intervention to get them released.
“Several of their agitations had even attracted Governor Okowa’s attention multiple times. It is a known fact that the state government has graciously awarded this contract twice but for the complexity of the selected few Mosogar elites, the project remains non-attended to.
“As a rights group, we believe that collaborating with these citizens who are resolute to the restoration of light in the Mosogar community success must be attained.
“We’re calling on Governor Sen Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa to, as a matter of serious urgency, put an eagle eye on the Mosogar light project for timely restoration of light before his tenure expires.
“Moreso there’s need for the governor to sanction all those found complicit in the delay in the light restoration of light. This should involve both the contractor and individuals.
“We, therefore, wish to state that no matter the divide and rule strategy of this enemy of progress, we shall continue to protest and drag them to anti graft agency so they can answer to their crime against the people of Mosogar community.”
