Close to midnight on December 31, 2017, a popular man of God with headquarters of his mega church located at the Government Reserved Area (GRA) 2 in Port Harcourt, the jovial Prophet climbed to the pulpit in pensive mood, different from his usual mood on New Year eves. He looked up and uttered curses on Don Wanni, (real name; Johnson Igwedibia) and prophesied thus; “Unless you repent, I give you seven days to go down”. Most persons that usually throng the cross-over church service there looked at each other. They whispered to one another how Baba (as they call him) is in a bad mood tonight. They knew that no man survived Baba’s curses. Don Wanni, go down?
Few hours later, the airwaves were constricted by the news that mass murder had taken place in Omoku. Omoku again? Worshippers returning from a midnight service had been attacked, leading to massacre. Bodies of children, women, and men were to surface around the world. Everybody shouted, Don Wanni. The dreaded killer had wiped away the fresh anointing on the foreheads of the innocent with his gun. The Holy Spirit had been challenged and no man has seen any case where the Holy Spirit lost a battle.
Few days later, gun duel exploded in a location in faraway Enugu and the bodies of Don Wanni and two of his bodyguards fell like rags with gaping holes in their heads. It was less than seven days. Many of the proud worshippers love to recount how Baba sent forth word, the word became bullets, the bullets went into guns held by solders of the 6 Division of the Nigerian Army (Port Harcourt), traveled to Enugu and wiped off the lives of those who wiped off the anointing of the innocent. Holy Spirit, take the glory, they chorused at a hotel on Stadium Road where they gathered to review events of the fresh year.
About the same time, Rivers State former governor and now Minister of Transportation, Ikwere-born Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, paid a hurried visit to the state and made a triumphant entry into Omoku. He condoled the relations of the victims of Don Wanni’s killing crusade and vowed that henceforth, the FG would protect the people of the state if the state governor, his bitterest rival though former best ally and kinsman, Nyesom Wike, would not protect them. Even up till Isiokpo where he was crowned with revered cap, he praised the FG and the security agencies for eventually taking out the dreaded mass killer.
Soon after, Governor Wike arranged a trip to Omoku too. These two former allies seem to know how each person’s mind works, and having applied same tricks in the past together, they seem to know what to expect from the other.
Wike paid huge condolences to the families of the victims and donated N50million to a girl that survived the attacks. The FG’s point man was not reported to have given any dime there. Instead, a group called Onelga Advocates had derided Amaechi for not doing anything to alleviate the sufferings of the only surviving but crippled son of an APC local leader that had been wiped out with his family in 2015 by Don Wanni in the heat of the elections. What was made loud was that Amaechi paid an empty visit. The next moment, Wike paid a juicy visit. In these days of ‘stomach infrastructure’, it is obvious which visit carried immediate weight.
What is significant is that Amaechi, in and outside Omoku, blamed Wike for the Omoku disasters. Wike returned the visit and returned the accusation. To him, it is Amaechi that is causing insecurity in Rivers State. He accused Amaechi of making the FG not to support the amnesty he granted over 30,000 confessed cultists in the state. Don Wanni is one of those who obtained Wike’s amnesty. Don Wanni died massacring people despite the amnesty flag on his head. This seems to be the take off of rhetoric, politicisation and endless confusion that will never allow the truth to germinate in the endless Rivers political crisis that began in 2012.
Wike, in a statewide broadcast, claimed credit for the eventual killing of the killer, just as Amaechi went round accepting accolades for the fall of Don Wanni. Christians think the Holy Spirit struck Don Wanni. So, who should take credit for this feat?
Give it to FG, RSG – Emmah Okah
To Emma Okah, the Rivers State commissioner of Information and Communications, a strong Wike’s supporter, the credit should be given to both the FG and the Rivers State Government (RSG).
He said: “The Rivers State Government sent a clear message on never to cover up the mass murder of Christians returning from midnight service. He announced a bounty of N200million to anyone with information. This sent a clear message for all to act fast. It worked quickly”.
He said the interesting thing was that security agencies got Don Wanni fast. “How did they do it so fast this time around? It means they can do if political shackles are removed from their hands. The question is, why did they not do it since?”
Okah urged the security agencies to do more. “The governor has made it clear that whatever is needed to get these things down, let them tell me.”
He said the churches that prayed on this matter should also be given credit, along with the FG and RSG.
Its FG only – Chris Finebone
To Chris Finebone, publicity secretary of the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state, the credit belong solely to the FG. “The Federal Government obviously should take credit for the killing of Don Wanni. Firstly, the DSS (Department of State Security) and the Army belong to and take orders from the federal government. Next, key persons in the Rivers State Government are strongly suspected to have patronised Don Wani over the years. People should simply not allow the Rivers State Government to deceive them”.
Read my lips – Eze Chukwuemeka Eze
Chukwuemeka Eze, a media consultant and special adviser to Davies Ikanya, APC chairman in the state, said the matter was still under investigation by the security agencies. He however wants people to read his lips and read between the lines of what some organisations from Omoku have so far said in various statements. The Omoku groups have accused a particular person of being Don Wanni’s sponsor and openly having photo sessions with him. The person so accused has responded too. “I am not sure whether another group can know the truth better than these groups who are resident in this axis. It is left for the Security Agencies to study some of these statements to bring the culprits to book,” he said.
Read also Tonye Banigo’s treatise which gave a proper reasoning behind the birth and operations of Don Wanny and likely forces behind his death. “I presume that the positions of these groups and persons will give you an insight on the sponsors of this agent of darkness used to decimate key APC members in ONELGA axis, and those that will like him to be killed to avoid him exposing them but God of Rivers State and the blood of those that they killed will surely expose them before the year runs off.”
Politics, counter-accusations, new theories
As usual, the opposing political actors in the state have taken over from where the soldiers that pulled the trigger stopped. Amaechi accused Wike of presiding over mass deaths; Wike accused Amaechi of frustrating security measures of the state. These statements carry huge implications were it to be a country where people were made to account for their words. Each camp wants further action to pin down Don Wanni’s sponsors.
Groups from Omoku alleged that Gov Wike’s ambition had ‘changed the peaceful ambience of the state, especially Orashi region, to daily bloodletting.’
The stakeholders, under the aegis of Civil Society Groups in Orashi Region and Orashi National Congress (ONC), spoke on Wednesday at a conference addressed by the president of ONC, Emeni Ibe, which was attended by the Chief Medical Director (CMD) of University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH), the professor, Henry Ugboma, an indigene of Ndoni in ONELGA; another stakeholder from Ndoni, the chief, Henry Odili; monarchs; leaders and other personalities.
The stakeholders accused Wike, Rivers State PDP boss, Felix Obuah, an indigene of Omoku of ONELGA, Elemchukwu Ogbowu, as some of the sponsors of Igwedibia. The Rivers governor, who was in Omoku on Tuesday to commiserate with the bereaved families, however, denied sponsoring Igwedibia and others.
Ogbowu admitted that he and the terrorist (Igwedibia) were from the same Aligwu community in ONELGA, but he never sponsored him and others. Ibe said: “The genocide and terrorism in Orashi region are highly condemnable, hence the perpetrators and sponsors should be brought to book. Security in Orashi should be improved to rid the area of criminals roaming and terrorising people.
“There is suspicion that security agencies and operatives in Orashi may have compromised, hence their roles should be investigated. The multinational oil companies in Orashi should desist from patronising criminals in their exploration and exploitation activities.
“The Federal Government, international community, donor agencies and humanitarian agencies should attend to the needs of the victims. We enjoin youths to toe the path of peace and shun crimes and vices. “In view of the strategic economic contribution of Orashi region, the Federal Government should embark on people-oriented programmes that will ameliorate the suffering of the people and create employment for our youths.”
Governor Wike also accused APC of recruiting blacklisted cultists to fight for elections in 2019 but Finebone rejected the accusation, saying the APC was not like the Rivers PDP that rode to power on the skulls of hundreds.
A social commentator, Tonye Banigo, had issued an analysis saying PDP boss, Obuah, had developed ambition to rule the state after Wike, and this did not seem to go down well with Wike. He claimed that Wike knew that Obuah had money and power, and to whittle this down, the governor had to push the Army to knock out Obuah’s enforcer.
Obuah’s camp countered that the party boss did not even know Don Wanni in person except when the corpse surfaced and could not have been sponsoring someone he did not know.
The various accusations seem difficult to string along lines of logic. The PDP said Amaechi was protecting Don Wanni, but it was APC and Amaechi’s loyalists that were killed before and during the 2015 elections. Amaechi camp says Wike was Don Wanni’s godfather but Wike has only been on seat as governor for only two years. A source however said Don Wanni was a freelance killer who worked for the highest bidder. Ogbowu whose photo session with Don Wanni is everywhere said he was only snapping with his kinsman.
Conclusion:
Don Wanni grew up as a quiet lad and dropped out of secondary school soon after joining a cult group. He allegedly rose fast through ruthlessness and took over after killing his gang leaders. His fame spelt terror and soon, oil giants in the area embraced him for protection. His wealth exploded.
At this point, he began to expand his sphere of influence wider in the state and beyond. Politicians allegedly from both sides began to buy his services and influence. The mother of an Amaechi commissioner was killed, others were abducted. Omoku became no go area and internally displaced persons (IDPs) became real.
On the night he allegedly killed the church goers, he crossed the forest from Imo State. He is called the ‘python that owns the forest’. He was said to be killing people to prove to the security group put together by the local council caretaker chairman that they cannot provide security in Omoku.
He may have succeeded but he also succeeded in proving that man cannot be above God. The problem is, many expected Don Wanni to be captured to tell his story, but others fear that since the man had escaped the army many times, keeping him alive could be risky because of miraculous escape. It is said to be his dangerous brother now on the run that is an issue. The story is yet to bottom out.
Ignatius Chukwu
