Leaders and stakeholders in the Isoko nation in Delta State have raised serious security concerns following a series of unsettling incidents involving individuals allegedly feigning mental illness, found abandoned in strategic locations.
This is amidst Nigeria’s broader challenges with insecurity, including kidnapping, organ harvesting, and potential terrorist activities.
In an alarming early morning development on November 13, 2024, over 50 individuals suspected to be mentally ill were found abandoned along the Owhe-Oleh Roundabout, Ozoro road in the Isoko North.
Reports and social media posts revealed that these individuals were dropped off at different points along the busy route, with some fleeing into nearby farmlands. A combined effort by local vigilantes, residents, and security personnel led to the apprehension of a significant number of the individuals, some of whom were taken into police custody for their safety and further investigation.
Adding to the tension, a similar incident occurred on the same date, November 13, 2024, at Koko Junction in Warri North. Reports indicated that close to 100 individuals, reportedly not mentally ill but described as miscreants, were abandoned in the area. Community leaders and observers have raised concerns that these incidents may be part of a deliberate movement of individuals from the northern part of the country to the South, potentially linked to terrorist networks.
Reacting to the development, Comrade Eniwake Orogun, President of the Isoko National Youth Assembly (INYA), expressed his concerns over the incident, “The news is not fake. In my own community, 17 of them were brought out from the forest and handed over to the police. In Oleh, they were dropped there; some of them are with the police. From the initial report, it was that 50 of them were dropped at Oleh/Ozoro roundabout. To find out yesterday that 17 of them were caught in Emevor… it gives us the impression that they were more than that, but which other location they were dropped is what we are not sure about.”
Orogun emphasized the suspicions surrounding these events, “Those that had interactions with them have serious doubts that they were mentally ill; they communicated like people with sound minds. It gives the impression that there are some undertones which the police are supposed to unravel. You understand the current insecurity in Nigeria kidnapping, organ harvesting, the killings so when you have such a number of supposedly mentally unstable people around, it gives a different narrative altogether.”
The Chairman of the Delta State Environmental Task Force, Godspower Asiuwhu, called for further investigation, “I cannot speak on that now because I’m not even aware that people were dropped there. But it is wrong for anybody to go there and drop people that have mental disorders. I think it’s the duty of the two Isoko Council Chairmen to take it up from there.”
Similarly, Isoko North Local Government Chairman, Godwin Ogoruba, confirmed handing over the apprehended individuals to the police, “The DPOs of Otor-Owhe and Oleh should be in a position to speak about that. That is the right thing to do. We don’t have to keep them or allow them to be roaming the communities terrorizing our people. Causing mayhem on our people will not be tolerated.”
Ogoruba also questioned the police’s dismissal of the reports, “How can you say it’s fake? Don’t you see the pictures everywhere? It’s all over the Internet. When you go to social media, you’ll see the photos and videos there. So something you are seeing live, how can you say it’s fake?”
Read also: Isoko in shock as over 50 suspected mentally ill individuals deposited in community
Former President-General of Ozoro Kingdom, Akpoili Miller, stressed the need for immediate and thorough investigations, “This is a serious issue that must be properly investigated and taken seriously. I was in Lagos when they called me from home to notify me of what was happening, that some mad people were dropped in Ozoro. But from what I gathered, they said the people are not really mad. And with the security situation in the country, everyone is worried.”
Contrary to the community’s concerns, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) for Delta State Command, SP Edafe Bright, described the reports as “fake news.”
The string of events on November 13, 2024, spanning both Isoko and Koko Junction, has left residents alarmed and on high alert. As suspicions of deliberate criminal networks moving southward grow, the call for transparency, vigilance, and immediate action from law enforcement agencies remains urgent. These incidents serve as a stark reminder of the critical need for proactive measures to address emerging security threats in the region.
