Gentlemen of press, it is with a deep sense of loss that we the members of the Frank Moses family of OKIKI and Okoroba address you today on the brutal murder of our beloved son.
Comrade Moses was a light in our community and bundle of joy and inspiration to many youths, he was gentle, honest, and dedicated to his duties above all he is incorruptible and hates injustice and oppression in all ramifications. These are the qualities and attribute that he possessed and exhibited as his main cardinal principles. The desire to defend and protect the rights of the people propelled him to seek for an elective position in the Federal Polytechnic Ekowe Senior Staff Association. He was a Senior Administrative Staff of the Federal Polytechnic, Ekowe before his untimely and gruesome murder by hired killers. It is worthy to note also that the deceased who was brutally murdered was the Financial Secretary of the Senior Staff Association of the Federal Polytechnic Ekowe branch, Bayelsa State.
Gentlemen of the press, our son was an epitome of peace; and dedicated his entire life maintaining peace and a strong advocate of jaw jaw as a mechanism in resolution of conflicts. This disposition of using dialogue in conflict resolution and management at the industrial dispute was the reason why our son was brutally murdered by the agents of the management of the Federal Polytechnic Ekowe. The deceased and the rest members of the union have been in industrial tussle with the Rector and members of his management team over issues bothering on workers unpaid benefits and reckless financial management and lack of due process and accountability in the management of the resource that have accrued to the school. It was the strong desire of the union to instil financial profligacy and curtail the recklessness that has enveloped the financial management of the resources and the total neglect of the workers welfare. The management of the Federal Poly Ekowe led by the rector have abused all the laws bothering on procurement and financial responsibility Act, the spending spree and looting of the resources that is meant to develop the school did not go down well with the SENIOR STAFF ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA UNIVERSITIES (SSANIP), Federal Polytechnic Ekowe Chapter.
The Rector and the Management team opted not to toe the line of peace in the resolution of the legitimate demands of the workers. We wish to state that the Rector embarked on a voyage of harassing and intimidating members of the union leadership. Threat messages were sent to the Union Chairman, Comrade Endurance Keyamo’s and that of the deceased. A close friend and acolyte of the Rector, Mr Okilo also sent a message on the impending attack on the deceased. The leadership of union were also arrested by the police on frivolous and spurious allegations. The Rector also deployed militants to threaten members of the Union over industrial disputes .The national leadership of the Union that visited to wade into the matter where not spared, they also received a dosage of the threat from the Rector and his murderous agents.
Comrade Frank Moses, as a man that represents peace, sent a text message to the Rector, advising the Rector to employ the conflict resolution mechanism by engaging the union and should discontinue the option of using thugs, dated 22 October, 2013 and I quote: ” sir, you should not allow the devil to use Zion Tei and Orubie Kuro to bring you down to the pit. What those two young men are doing is putting you in a big danger .No matter how it will cost you, please take the pains and resolve the crises, is my piece of advice to you, because we mean what we are doing but we are considering to give you are third chance if only you are ready. The union has a stake in the development of the institution don’t undermine us if you are to succeed. Please advise Zion Tei and his to be Ambassadors of peace. They don’t have the pedigree to resolve these crises.” The path of peace has always been his quest despite the deployment of thugs and the police and the (SARS )by the Rector to resolve an entirely internal industrial matter.
Gentlemen of the pen profession, our son was extra-judicially murdered on the 8th of November 2013 in the most gruesome manner after the victory of the Golden Eaglets at the FIFA Under 17 World Cup finals. This was a great moment of joy for our dear Nation and Africa, at large. The ecstasy and the merriment were abruptly cut short by the sad news of the brutal murder of our son on the day the entire nation was celebrating the giant strides of the Eaglets.
The various messages and threats that were issued to the deceased and the chairman are all intact and the service providers have all the details of the communication. It is also important to note that the killers and their sponsors are walking free on the streets of Yenagoa. The police and the SSS in the State were informed about the various threats that were issued and all the letters pertaining to the threats dated 5th September 2012 and 22nd January 2013. It is also worthy to note that a GSM mobile number 07088713875 called 2pm and threaten to kill the Chairman and the deceased and the communication is recorded as exhibit.
The Bayelsa police command is yet to make arrest on most of those persons that are mentioned that issued the threats using their mobile phones sending messages and calling the deceased and the Chairman, Comrade Endurance Keyamo.
We wish to state also that the lady that was accosted in the house is a staff of the Polytechnic and was never in any relationship with the deceased, as some alleged. She moved into the house of the deceased after the brutal murder on a mission to take away vital documents that are documentary evidence in the suit pending in the High court.
The lady that was arrested in house during her interview in the presence of the Commissioner of Police and members of the family of the deceased averred that she saw some of those person that have been issuing threats on the road leading to the deceased’s house on her way to the victim’s house.
The Rector of the Polytechnic has been boasting on the radio and print media that he was never arrested by the police. The police command released the Rector, who is the prime suspect of this murder case, on the same day that he was arrested based on a ‘’powerful call from above’’ as we were told from our source. The story also has it that he was asked to go produce those mentioned in the entire scenario. We the members of the family are worried over the manner the police in Yenagoa are handling a sensitive matter of this magnitude. It is now obvious that there is a grand design to shield the culprits and all the parties that participated in the brutal and gruesome murder of our son. We wish to make the following demand from the police.
1. The command should explain to the public why the prime suspect in this murder case, the Rector, Federal Polytechnic Ekowe, was released even with the glaring evidence.
2. The Police and the SSS should explain to Nigerians why they ignored the letters written them by the deceased and Comrade Keyamo informing them (security agencies) about the threats to their lives by the blood thirsty Rector and his killer gang.
3. The police should arrest all those whose names are with them who sent threat messages to the deceased and Chairman.
3. The police should tell the public if suspect in a murder trial are entitled to bail in the given scenario. Who is the man or lady that gave the CP the power call that led to the release of the Rector who is now boasting he was never arrested at all, by the police.
4. We demand that the police should mention the name of the “big man” that issued the order from above to release the Rector. We are saddened by the police action in a high profile case and involving first degree murder.
5. We urge the Inspector General police to take over the investigation of the matter and arrest of all those persons that are involved in the matter.
6. The police have the rare privilege to redeem its image by using the relevant information with the various service providers to unravel the killers.
7. We demand that the police should be more civilized in its intelligent gathering as those who volunteered to give information are been harassed and are now afraid to give further information based on the threats that issued by the police.
8. The Rector is a Nigerian and he is not above the law of the land and we are shocked at the VIP treatment that he is given by the police. This raises lot of concern and worry for the family and the society. In a decent society the likes of the Rector ought to be behind bars waiting for proper trial. The evidence points in the direction of the Rector and those mentioned in the petition.
9. The police contributed immensely to the death of our son having failed to act on the petition that they wrote concerning the threat to life of the deceased and the Chairman Comrade Endurance Keyamo.
10. We demand for justice from the state on this matter as we believe justice is a three way traffic according to Justice Chukwudifu Oputa (rtd), “justice to the victim,the society and the accused persons’’.
Gentlemen of the press, it our hope that the police will do what is right in the circumstance and live up to the expectation of the public .There is no sacred cow in the temple of justice and pray that the police will do justice in the investigation of this matter.
The police are on trial in the courts of public opinion and GOD, the investigation of this matter should not be sacrificed on the altar of friendship and position. Those who perpetrated the dastardly act should, at all cost, be brought to book, no matter whose ox is gored.
FRANK TALENT
FOR FAMILY