By Okechukwu Onuegbu
Chief Bonaventure Mokwe, a real estate manager whose Upper Class hotel at Onitsha was demolished in 2013 by Anambra State government after allegedly discovering human parts in the establishment has accused those envious of his flourishing motor park business of ‘influencing' the state government to perpetuate the act.
Mokwe, while addressing the Anambra State Judicial panel of inquiry on police brutality, extra judicial killings and other related matters, on Thursday, alleged that his hotel was demolished on order of former Governor Peter Obi about two weeks after he engaged some Onitsha indigenes “in a muscle to muscle fight.”
“During the time of governor Peter Obi, he conceded Ose motor park to Onitsha indigenes. The park is beside Mokwe Motor park which belonged to me. Transporters operating through the park are mostly those plying Otuocha, Anam, Ifite Ogwari, etc. When the fees Onitsha people were collecting from them at the Ose park became too much, they moved to Mokwe park. As they moved to Mokwe park, Onitsha youth numbering about 100 attacked Mokwe park. I defended my park muscle by muscle.
“The transporters through their union approached Court to stop Onitsha people from disturbing them at my park. Onitsha people saw it as an assault. They said I had stepped on big toes which I don't know what that meant. After two weeks of that confrontations, there was a setup to destroy my hotel. I suspect they were those who influenced Peter Obi led government to demolish my hotel.
“SARS officers led by James Nwafor (the then Officer in Charge of SARS, Awkzu), all of a sudden came and recovered human parts at Room 102 of my hotel. The same day, my hotel was pulled down. No investigation. The SARS did not care to ask the hotel management about the person that lodged in the room. The lodger, as captured in our manifest was one Mr John Obi. And the manifest was submitted to the police as at 6.30am in line with extant laws of Anambra. They did not care to request for all these things or ask question because they were interested in demolishing my hotel," he alleged.
The hotelier further narrated his ordeals including torture in the hands of the defunct SARS for over two due to the same allegations, adding that he was ready to volunteer more information on the workings and other extra judicial killings he allegedly witnessed from the defunct unit of police while in their custody.
The Chairman of the panel, Justice Veronica Umeh, however, urged the petitioner and his counsel, Prof. Meshach Umenweke to compile and submit other information they wished to make before November 26 after which they would be invited to defend or authenticate them in the presence of the police and others likely to be mentioned in the petition or addendum.
Meanwhile, the Commissioner for Information in Anambra state during former governor Obi's administration, Chief Barr. Joe Martins, has reacted to some of the allegations made by Mokwe.
Chief Uzodike said that the point to note is that the said Nwafor was a very junior officer when Obi was Governor to have any form of relationship with him. He said that the said Nwafor did whatever he did as a police officer posted to Anambra state and that Obi did not hire him as an aide nor even know him personally.
“Meanwhile”, Uzodike continued, “the allegation that SARS derived its powers from Governors is complete betrayal of one with a mission. It confirms the information that some people have been heavily suborned to use the platform to play the game of vendatta. We knew when they were invited to Abuja and we have information of what transpired. “Who in Nigeria does not know that the clamour for a state police is because Governors have absolutely no control over the police as presently constituted?
Concluding, Uzodike said that all attempts to smear Obi had always failed and that the present “last dance” will equally come to naught.