RE: “HOW TWO COMMUNITY LEADERS REPORTEDLY BECAME VICTIMS OF DEADLY PLOT IN RIVERS STATE AS MAIN KIDNAP, MURDER SUSPECT WALKS FREE”.
Our attention has been drawn to a publication by Sahara Reporters dated June 22, 2025, seeking to absolve Moji Frank Sampson Ogwu and his brother, Emeka Kingsley Sampson Ogwu of six count charge bordering on murder, terrorism, kidnapping etc.
The publication read in part that the Sampson Ogwu brothers are respected Community leaders whose land has deposit of Crude Oil and they once raised concerns with the then Rivers State Commissioner of Police, CP Tunji Disu about security threats linked to their family’s ancestral land in Oshiugboko Community, Ahoada East Local Government Area , Rivers State.
This tragic and pathetic narrative began in 2021 when Aradel Holding PLC acquired a portion of the Oshidhiogu water front owned by Umudho Ule family. Moji and his brother, Emeka, imposed themselves as their family and Community contact men, and singlehandedly sold family Land , signed and sealed agreement with the company regarding a jetty project.
When the Paramount ruler of our community, Chief Elysian O. John, sought explanation why the community was not getting royalty for the loading of Crude at the jetty, Moji and his brother alleged that our Chief collected the sum of #20,000 as bribe, therefore he should be dethroned.
They began terrorizing the community, using general Junior Prince Ishirim of Okporowo Community, whose penchant is to unleash mayhem at the slightest command. With the backing of general Junior and their cohorts in the company, they forged letters indicating that our Paramount ruler has been dethroned and also withdrawn as the community representative in the Host Communities Board of Trustees- a position Chief Elysian John won via a free and fair election, and his name published alongside other host Community Representatives in the Nigerian Tide of Wednesday, 26th April, 2023, (page 15).
What followed next was a radio announcement that a Governing Councel has been put in place to oversee our community affairs, with Moji as the Chairman. Moji then replaced the name of Chief Elysian John with his name as the BOT member representing Oshiugboko Community, and also removed the name of Dr. Chibunna Wisdom Obiri as the management representative and replaced it with Mekelachi Friday Miller, his cousin, despite the fact that both of them lack the academic criteria stipulated by the PIA.
On the 2nd of January, 2024, the Umudho Ule youths- youths of the family that own the Oshidhiogu water front, led by the president, Comr. Saviour Tambosele Ajikwara, went to the waterfront to familiarize themselves with ongoing activities.
Four days later, on the 6th of January, 2024, Moji Frank Sampson Ogwu and his brother, Emeka Kingsley Sampson Ogwu held a meeting in the community, heavily surrounded by general Junior and his boys, wielding sophisticated weapons. In that meeting they set up a vigilante group and promised to procure arms for them and also pay them a monthly stipend of #20,000. They also threatened to kill every member of the Ajikwara kindred.
The next day, 7th of January, 2024, around 1am, general Junior and his boys stormed our community and were led to the home of Elder Samuel Dudu Ajikwara, Saviour Ajikwara’s father and shot repeatedly on the doors and windows, broke in and inflicted serious injuries on every member of the Ajikwara family on sight. They proceeded to the homes of some of the youths that went to the jetty on the 2nd of January, 2024. The family youth secretary, Comr. Chidom Obiri also got his fair share of brutality- there are picture evidence and Saviour Ajikwara also wrote a petition to the then Commissioner of Police, Rivers State, CP Tunji Disu.
At this point, Chief Elysian John has gone to court to seek justice, our Community having donated a power of attorney to a lawyer to help recover revenue that has been hijacked by the Sampson Ogwu brothers for some years. Knowing that they do not belong to the community hierarchy, and knowing too that they have not remitted a dime to the community, therefore they stand no chance in court, mandated general Junior to compel the Community to withdraw the matter from court.
When the Community leadership refused to withdraw the case from court, general Junior resorted to assasinating some key members of the community On the first of July, 2024, he targeted the community youth president, Comr Noble Chimela Joel, around 2am, but he narrowly escaped. General Junior carted away some of his property and instructed his wife to tell him that since he refused to align with the Sampson Ogwu brothers that he would be hunted down. It’s also pertinent to add here that these brothers had earlier detained our youth president, Comr. Chimela Nobel Joel for six months on unfounded allegations.
Moji Frank Sampson Ogwu also removed the Eldest Man – Elder Chief Salon Enyi denied him Elder 001 and chose another person in the community.
The Sampson Brothers endured that Elder Samuel Dudu Ajikwara was banned from the family because his was talking about Youth Leadership.
Following series of threats from general Junior, Chief Elysian John could no longer visit the village, the youth president and the Chairman Council of Chiefs fled the village to Port Harcourt for safety. A community youth, Remember Chiwokwa Mini, was shot and killed by general Junior on the 15th of July, 2024, at 3am in his room for questioning the Sampson Ogwus why our youths are not being employed by the company.
While all these gory tales were unfolding, there was a call for election to fill the vacant stool of Eze Igbu Orlukwor, in Orlukwor clan, Ekpeye ethinic nation, Rivers State. Moji saw this as a privilege to ascend the throne so that he can have legal grounds to usurp power to continue exploiting our community.
Even though he was not qualified by age, he muscled his way into the election through bribery. Late Saviour Ajikwara posted repeatedly on the clan’s WhatsApp platform that Moji Sampson lacks the quality to be crowned king.
On the day of the election, even though he bribed majority of the delegates, he was floored by HRH Eze Prince Ike Ehie, who on the same day announced Saviour Ajikwara his PA, having noticed his sterling qualities.
This really infuriated Moji Sampson, who listed names and forwarded to his hatched man; names he felt worked against him in the election- Chief Elysian John and Saviour Ajikwara were top on that list. They were marked for death.
Hon. Emeka Gordon, a relative of general Junior on on hand and Chief Elysian John on the other, who in time past had brokered peace between general Junior and one of his rivals, decided to wade into the matter hopping he can restore peace in Oshiugboko Community.
The Sampson Ogwu brothers got wind of this development and capitalized on it. A meeting was scheduled in Okporowo Community on the 8th of September, 2024.
On that ill-fated day, the trio of Emeka Gordon, Chief Elysian John and Saviour Ajikwara arrived the venue of the meeting at Okporowo, convened by general Junior and waited for the arrival of the Sampson Ogwu brothers. Mrs Elysian John kept calling her husband to know the situation of things over there, but he told her that the brothers are yet to arrive. According to her, by 8pm, her husband’s line was switched off.
Hon. Emeka Gordon later narrated that their eyes were blindfolded and they were marched to the bush by general Junior and his boys, accused of challenging the authority of the Sampson Ogwus. He was then subjected to oat not to reveal what has transpired. He was let go because of the blood relationship he has with general Junior, and more importantly, he is not a native of Oshiugboko Community. He was shocked by the outcome of the purported peace meeting, so he decided to damn the consequences and reveal the brutal murder of two prominent sons of Oshiugboko Community on the orders of Moji and Emeka Sampson Ogwu.
Upon their arrest in September, 2024, by the tactical unit SOIT (Special Operations and Intelligence Team) attached to the Divisional Police Headquarters mile 1, Port Harcourt, they bribed their way out. The outcry of the Ajikwara family after this incident prompted their rearrest..
The said publication by Sahara Reporters is targeted at misleading the public because there is no farmland belonging to the Sampson Ogwu family, or any other family that bears Crude in Oshiugboko Community. What we have is a jetty where Arradel Holding PLC uses as alternative source of Crude evacuation from Ogbelle Oilfield (OML -54), using a barge and a tug boat on daily basis, at the Oshidhiogu water front in Oshiugboko Community.
It should be noted that the company has not reached any agreement with the family that owns the water front nor the community at Large. It should be noted also that late Comr. Saviour Tambosele Ajikwara has petitioned both the then CP Tunji Disu and the DSS. He also made a statement at the Rivers State Police Headquarters for threat to life against Moji and Emeka Sampson Ogwu.
We use this medium to call on the Inspector General of Police, the Attorney General of the federation, Human Rights Organizations, Civil Society Organizations and well meaning Nigerians to help us ensure that all those connected to these heinous crimes are brought to justice and to restrain Aradel Holding PLC from repressing the people of Oshiugboko Community.
Thank you.
Signed
1) Chief Elder Salon Enyi – Eldest Man in the Community
2) Chief Aforma Godwin -Paramount Ruler
3) Mr. Ernest Lot Obiri – C.D.C Oshiugbokor
4) Mr. Alali Uwuma Stanley – Community Secretary
5) Mr. Noble Chiemela Joel – Community Youth President
6) Mrs. Florence G. Abi- Community Women Leader