The Obi of Owa Kingdom, His Royal Majesty, Obi Dr. Emmanuel Efeizomor II JP OON, has called for a full scale Investigations into the immediate and remote causes of the train mishap four days ago, at Owa Oyibu , in Ika North East Local Government Area of Delta State that claimed four lives and several others injured.
The monarch, who visited the scene of the train accident, urged relevant government agencies to beam search light on the activities of miscreants who specialize in vandalizing government properties.
He said intelligence reports have revealed that some unknown individuals usually parade along the train tracks at night, attributing the train derailment to the activities of metal and iron vandals operating in the locality.
The Owa Monarch enjoined the federal and State government to , as a matter of urgency, intensify efforts in tracking down the vandals with a view to bringing them to justice.
Obi Efeizomor 11, who is the immediate past Chairman, Delta State Traditional Rulers Council, lamented the level of heightened insecurity in the Owa community occasioned by kidnapping for ransom, banditry and youth restiveness and other forms of criminality.
The octogeneran king, who is also the Chairman, Delta North Traditional Rulers Forum, said “a proper investigation into the cause or causes of the train accident mght have direct link or clue to the activities of metal or iron vandals operating in the area.”
The monarch emphasized the urgent need for government at all levels to beef up security measures geared towards effectively protecting government facilities and critical national assets in the community.
He posited that such efforts would help to curtail the excesses of vandals, kidnappers, and other criminal elements in the area and also help to reduce the unending feeling of fear and panic among the people.
He said members of the Owa Community vigilante group were at alert and working tirelessly to compliment the efforts of the police and other security agencies in securing the community and its environs.
The revered Monarch expressed serious reservations over the continuous tendency of describing the location of Owa Railway station to Agbor, saying that Owa and Agbor Communities are two different autonomous kingdoms in two local government council areas.
Dr. Efeizomor 11 said the practice was not only a deliberate act of misinforming the public but a calculated attempt to create disaffection among the two autonomous communities of Owa and Agbor kingdom insisting that while Owa Oyibu is the headquarters of Ika North East local Government area Agbor on the other hand is the headquarters of Ika South Local Government area urging the public particularly media to take administrative note of the nomenclature moving forward.
He used the occasion to commensurate with the families of the deceased and prayed for the speedy recovery of those receiving treatment from injuries sustained in the accident.
The Obi described the accident as tragic and painful, noting that the loss of lives was irreplaceable to the affected families and prayed God to grant them the fortitude to bear the loss.
He enjoined relevant government agencies to ensure that the injured victims were giving adequate medical attention even as he emphasized that adequate measures be put in place to restore the rail transportation system within the shortest time possible.@
