How Thuggery Trailed Court Judgement Execution In Mararaba

One very worrisome phenomenon, closely behind terrorism, militancy and corruption, which has continued to be a bane to development and rule of law within the Nigerian federation, is thuggery-a situation whereby a group of hoodlums, usually hired or sponsored, unleash violence on lives and property in pursuit of their interest, which they feel has not been supported, without recourse to laid down constitutional procedure.

The ugly trend is much more pronounced in politics today. But other sectors such as business, both at public or private level, suffer a great deal of setback from acts of thuggery. The incidence at Aso in Mararaba, Nasarawa State, recently, is one that should be of concern to anyone who is opposed to violence and wanton destruction of lives and property, especially as the case in question is with a competent court of law.

A group of thugs, armed to the teeth, recently stormed the block factory of one Natan Oke-Suit at Aso, a densely populated fast growing town in Karu local  government of Nasarawa State, along the borderline of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja,  to the South, in protest of an execution of a court judgement over ownership of the nearby Aso Tipper Park, which was in his (Natan’s) favour, and when they did not find him on getting to the site, they went on destruction spree, breaking blocks and setting some inflammable working items ablaze.

The Aso Tipper Park has been a subject of dispute between Aso Pada Association led by Mr Oke-suit and the Karu chapter of the NURTW, led by Alhaji Abdulahi Kuku Onda.

We gathered that after forcefully ejecting Oke-suit and his his locally based association from the property, the association under Oke-suit, took the matter to the police, after which the NURTH went to the Nasarawa State High Court at Mararaba, to challenge the legality of operating at the said park in the name of Aso Pada independent of the national union which, according to them, reserves the sole right of managing such parks across the local government, asking the court to stop the community-based association from laying claim to the park.

So the suit tagged NSD/MG/05/13 was between NURTW, with Alh. Onda spear-heading, as the plaintiff, and Oke-suit, with the Incorporated Trustees of ASO Pada, Guruku, Kabisu, and Yelwa Tipper Owners and Quarry Workers Association of Nasarawa State, as defendant.

Delivering the judgement on 30th June, 2016, Justice Simon Aboki, who ruled out the claims of the plaintiff for want of evidence and constitutional back-up, asked NURTW to pay Oke-suit and Aso Pada N9 million special damages and N1 million general damages.

Subsequently, the Onda side filed a motion for stay of execution which was thrown out by the court on the 7th October for lack of merit. Ruling on the motion, Justice Aboki, cognisance of the fact that the NURTW had gone on appeal, ordered that NURTW vacated the park with immediately or face execution, directing that that the said N10 million damages be paid to the court pending the determination of the appeal. Consequently, the execution was carried out on the afternoon of October 13, 2016, with the structures on the park pulled down by the hired caterpillar under police watch. This was when the thugs began to head to Oke-suits working site.

Speaking to LEADERSHIP Friday after the incidence, Oke-suit, who expressed shock at the development, said he managed to leave the site and hide himself before their arrival because he had received calls from some people of goodwill to inform him about their advancement. According to him, while accompanying their spontaneous destruction which chanting of war songs, one of the hoodlums was heard saying that they came for him, and since he could not be found they would destroy whatever they see.

“I learnt that  Alh. Onda sent them to come and carry out their own execution by taking my life. I don’t know what I have done to them. They were the ones who took me to court, and now that the case is lost by them they have result to violence, looking for my head.

“During an earlier attempt at the execution when the few policemen that came unprepared were resisted by the same guys, an attempt was also made at me and my properties. Onda had instructed them to hunt me down and kill me since I had the audacity to challenge the NURTW and those boys categorically said they were sent by Onda. I reported the matter to the police who invited him then and he signed an undertaking never to allow such happen again. I am surprised that he has done it again, and the [police decided to keep the file in view,” he explained.

Oke-suit said he lost properties valued at N2.5 million to their destructive act. He said about 5, 000 blocks, valued at over N1 million, were destroyed. Some of my working tools were destroyed, others were plundered. They broke into my store and fetched my water pumping machine filled with petrol and set it ablaze, together with motor cycle tank in a room adjoining my office such that my entire office would have been burnt down, but thank God it didn’t escalate to that extent.

“With the zink and other things they have destroyed, I need N2.5 million to put the place back,” he said.

According to Oke-suit, the police’s quick intervention was what saved the situation from degenerating to the worst. As at press time, he said seven persons, two of whom have been identified as members of the thugs, including a woman shopkeeper opposite the site, had been arrested and and were in police custody.

“I must commend the effort of the Mararaba police team sent by the DPO, and especially the Aso Police OC, Mr Collens Ocholi, with his team who decided to hang around even after the rampaging boys had been dispersed, leading to the arrest of some suspects among the hoodlums who hid themselves and were throwing stones into the site in the aftermath of their dispersion. Their quick intervention actually saved the situation.”