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By Kelechi Esogwa-Amadi
Since they were felled by assassins’ bullets seven months ago, the corpses of former Andoni Local Government chairperson, Pastor Mrs Emilia Nte and another politician, Ignatius Bara Ephraim, are yet to be found or rather declared found.
Also, nothing much has been heard about Monwon Etete Owoh, who was also killed by unknown gunmen in the same period. Mowan also served as executive chairman of Andoni LGA.
Interestingly, TPCN gathered that Monwon Etete was the political father of Hon. Ignatius Bara and that both joined the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 1999 –the year that marked the beginning of the fourth republic when the military handed over to the civilian government after sixteen years of unbroken rule that lasted from December 31st 1983 when then General Muhammadu Buhari pushed out the Shehu Shagari government via a coup d’etat to 29th May, 1999 when General Abdusalami Abubakar handed over to President Olusegun Obasanjo.
Also, both Mowan Etete and his political son, Ignatius Bara, left the PDP the same year -2018- to join the All Progressives Congress (APC). As if their fates were attached to each other, both of them were allegedly attacked the same day by gunmen yet to be identified by the police, while Emilia Nte, who until her alleged murder cum kidnap, was allegedly a staunch PDP supporter, was also attacked at the same period.
TPCN investigations revealed that Mowan Etete, a grass root politician, after defecting to the APC from the PDP, did not keep his mouth shut but became a kind of foot soldier and mouth piece for his new party in Andoni, always blasting his former party and accusing them of insensitivity and bad governance.
This is despite the fact that he allegedly made his money from his former party that he suddenly didn’t see anything good in, being a former chairman of his LGA, a former S.A. to a governor of the state and other lucrative positions in the party before defecting to his new party.
But in what could be described as a twist of fate, Monwon Etete was, on February 23rd, 2019, shot by unknown gunmen. Curiously, February 23rd was the day this year’s presidential elections were held, thus fuelling suspicion in many quarters that his death may not be unconnected to the electoral violence that characterized the presidential election, although TPCN is unaware if all the mysteries surrounding his death have been unraveled.
In what could be described as a complex coincidence, the gunmen, after killing Etete, allegedly went to Ignatius Bara’s community – Ajakajak- and kidnapped him.
TPCN gathered that since his kidnap on February 23rd, Bara’s whereabouts are yet to be known. And seven months after, his and Emilia Nte’s supporters, friends and relatives are complaining bitterly over what they see as the deafening silence of the authorities and the stakeholders of the parties they belonged despite their family members passing through mental and psychological torture, as they were said to be their families’ bread winners.
Speaking to TPCN today in Port Harcourt, one of Emilia Nte’s relatives, who said she was his aunt, wondered why the authorities have not commented on her disappearance and rumoured death. He said despite her rumoured death, they as her family members are still not sure if she has actually died or not, adding that they cannot be believing mere rumour.
The family member, who pleaded that his name should not be mentioned for what he described as security reasons and for having not been mandated by the Nte family to speak on their behalf, added:
“I’m only speaking my mind as a concerned family member who is still feeling pained by what happened to my aunty. I’m not happy that nobody is showing any interest in the matter, not even her party members in Andoni. Although some of them have consoled the family but it’s not enough. I don’t know who she offended. But I pray that the truth about her death will be revealed.”
Also, a member of Hon. Ignatius Bara Ephraim, who also spoke in anonymity to TPCN, said they do not know their brother’s whereabouts and pleaded with the government and security agencies to help them in that regard.
“We believe they’re doing something about it. Please they should do it fast so that we will know if he is still alive or not,” he added.
