Also reacting to the chief Eregbene’s unlawful arrest and unwarranted embarrassment, Burutu Youths body and the Ijaw People’s Development Initiative, IPDI, condemned the arrest as they gave 7days ultimatum to Chief Clark and his son to offer public apology to Chief Eregbene and that failure to do so would prompt legal action to seek for public redress of abuse of the fundamental rights of Chief Saturday Eregbene.
Narrating his ordeal Eregbene said his arrest amount to oppression and suppression and was meant to stop him from benefiting from a lawful contract between him and Burutu council mandating him to fighting for payment of tenement rate in the council.
According to Eregbene, ‘’Shell was paying five thousand naira to the council for many years and during Ambrose Ali regime in then Bendel state he propose Tenement rate laws and that Ambrose Ali at that time set up a task force on tenement rate to meet with oil companies yet the companies refused to pay till Ali government was over’’
He added that when one Brisibe became chairman in Burutu Local Government Chairman he gave attorney to Barr Fedode Zimughan and Barr Broderick Bozimo to fight for the payment of tenement rate and they were given about Eighty Thousands naira to prosecute the case against Shell and Agip and they fought for three years with no result.
‘‘Wherefore during when Orubebe became chairman in the council in 1991 he made a review of the said power of attorney given to the above lawyers and contracted Karuna marine Limited which was over seen by Saturday Eregbene to prosecute the case against shell and Agip’’
He further stated that the power of attorney was given to him with a condition that the council will not contribute financially to support or assist in prosecuting the case and,if he wins the tenement rate case, proceeds will be shared 50/50 equal percent and, if the case fails, Eregbene should bear the losses alone and this was accepted by both parties before he took over prosecution of the matter against the oil companies.
“I started with shell, I asked them to pay tenement rate to the council but they refused and I decided to take legal action against shell and Agip in Warri State high court. Shell employed the services of Okpoko and he was the highest lawyer in Warri then. Shell took Okpoko to grossly suppress the poor Burutu masses that ought to have benefited from the tenement rate payment. We equally employed the services Barr Akanbi (SAN) from Lagos, he usually attend court sittings from Lagos in every adjourned date through aero contractors”
“We argued if shell could pay 35million naira to Lagos state government on the ground that Shell secretariats were situated in Lagos why Burutu that produces 1million barrel per daily which amounts to 2.5billion naira could be paid only 5thousand, and shell disagree with us, saying that if they pay huge amount to Burutu, other LGAs will demand same and it will affect them, so they will not pay”
Eregbene stated that they were in court with Shell for four years before judgement was given in favour of Burutu council, where the court ordered that Shell should pay Burutu council 25.5millions annually.
He reiterated that while the case lasted, no Burutu LGA staff including the chairmen attended or assisted the course of litigation throughout the four years.
Meantime “Shell sees me as a threat and they petition me to the then IG of police that am the next Ken Saro-wiwa to take over late Ken Saro-wiwa’s struggle, so I was arrested and detained in Abuja for 37days. I nearly died in the cell and when they heard that am dying, they quickly release me out of fear” Yet they refused to pay despites the court judgement”
Meanwhile,after the victory I was looking for the 25thousands to pay belief to serve Shell as to feifet Shell properties at Focados terminal but I could not fetch it, so I approached the then chairman to provide the money but he refused because of the earlier agreement that they will not assist me, I suffered, so I borrowed this money from money lender to mobilize the belief and before we mobilize the belief Shell went for an appeal in Benin”
However, “before I got this court judgement, we borrowed millions from money lenders with high interests and the interest yielded huge amounts of money which I have not finish paying till date.
In court of appeal in Benin, Shell were asked to pay 7million before Filing the appeal and Shell paid and the appeal lasted for another four years before judgment was given again in favour of Burutu council and the appeal court upheld the 25.5 million high court judgement and ordered that the money be paid.
Contrary, the judgement equally stated that tank farms should not be paid because they are join properties with NNPC, and that 80percent of the tanks farms belongs to NNPC and 20percent for shell.
Eregbene disagreed and argued that Shell has 30percent not 20percent, Agip has 10pecernt and elf about 5pecent and he further went to the supreme court to appeal against the exclusion of payment of oil tank farms within the council which is pending till date.
He maintained that ever since the appeal court affirmed the judgement of the lower court, the council has being receiving payment of tenement rate from Shell and other oil companies and the money was shared between the council and Karuna Marine Ltd.
“Every chairman that comes usually honour this agreement after receiving the payment they pay me my 50 percent agreed. The first payment of 2.9million as 2015 tenement rate which was paid to the current chairman Ebikeme Clark was shared 50/50 percent . But it is obvious that when 2016 money was paid which was 17million he refused to pay me my 50percent share and ever since he has been intimidating me with his father chief Clark”
Meanwhile, some of the money I borrowed from money lenders to prosecute this case I have not be able to pay. I reported this matter to his father Chief Clark for about three times but it was to no avail. I went to Delta State house of assembly and they ordered him to continue payment as it is a valid agreement”
“All the Delta assembly members representing Burutu, order him to pay but he refused. A member of Delta state assembly who was a former chairman in council also urge him to pay because he too was paying when he was a chairman in the LGA yet he refused.
Another former chairman of the council, HON Ekiome zuokumor also told him to pay because he too was paying and Burutu Leaders also ordered him to pay but he refused to pay”
Thereafter, “Ebikeme, PDP Burutu LGA chairman, Kenneth Ogoibiri and other prominent members of Burutu came to my house and pleaded and they promised to pay me my share of 17million tenement rate on the 15th of February. But before the 15th I was arrested in my house and was taken to Abuja and was detained for three days”
I felt sick, I was only released on health ground. I left for Warri for the 4th day. And till now I am battling with my health. I have visited several hospitals. In Ebikeme’s petition he alleged that I threatened his life. I did not threaten anybody, am very advanced in age. It is obvious that Clark connived with his son to arrest me as to embarrass me.
They decided to intimidate me this way for me to abandon this tenement issue. It is a cheep blackmail and I can never be intimidated.
‘‘They arrested me because I petition Ebikeme to ICPC over fraud of 90 million SURE-P and 17million tenement rate. It is obvious that Ebikeme boasted that the ICPC cannot arrest him because his father Clark was the one that influence the appointment of the current ICPC boss” He alleged that his father has already written letter to the ICPC boss to stop investigation against his son”
I call on President Muhammadu Buhari to intervene, how a single individual can could write to stop a fraud committed by his son and such letter is honoured in this dispensation. So long as they have chosen to intimidate me with police I will not sleep over it”
Speaking, further IPDI said that Eregbene’s arrest is unlawful and obnoxious, and that attempt terminate a valid contracts from Eregbene is insensitivity at the highest order.”Ebikeme Clark must face trial despites intimidation and harassment, and that he must account for the 90million Sure-p and 17million tenement rate.
“His father cannot stop his trial and all the atrocities he has done he will pay for it. It is very unfortunate that as a son of our national leader he cannot live by example”
“We expected that Chief Clark may have taught him good morals, and as it is, Ebikeme lacks good morals and the characters he exhibiting are not different from Agberro( street boys).
“He must give stewardship to the people of Burutu and if we fail to compel him to do so posterity will not forgives us. Chief Clark is expected to join hands with Burutu people to correct his son of every unlawful doing and not to connive with is son to fight his subjects
