Flashback: How Urhobo leaders assisted in rescuing Ese Oruru Flashback: How Urhobo leaders assisted in rescuing Ese Oruru

President General of Urhobo Progress Union (UPU), Joe Omene, has revealed how the Urhobo people assisted in rescuing the 14 Ese Oruru that was kidnapped from Bayelsa to Kano last year

- Omene said his leadership has ensured that any attack on any Urhobo person is seen as an attack on the entire Urhobo people

- He revealed that he mobilised Urhobo people to Bayelsa and the court to ensure the safety of Ese Oruru

President General of Urhobo Progress Union (UPU) in Delta state, Chief Joe Omene, has revealed how the Urhobo people in collaboration with the Nigerian security agencies rescued the 14-year- old Ese Oruru who was abducted from Bayelsa to Kano state last year.

Omene, who has been having running battle with the leadership of the Urhobo union, said the abduction of the girl was an attack on the Urhobo people, hence he said an attack on one Urhobo person is an attack on the entire Urhobo people.

Joe Omene and Ese Oruru

He said: “It is my desire to make the union unique and promote the unity, development and cultural values of the Urhobo people at home and in the diaspora.

“It is my desire that through the UPU, Urhobo nation would become greater and get better recognition,” adding that he had succeeded in giving a class to the Urhobo nation worldwide.

In order to prove this, he said when the 14-year-old Ese Oruru was kidnapped by an Hausa ‘keke’ rider and taken to the North sometimes last year, the UPU under his leadership waded into the matter and she was eventually released.

The ‘keke’ rider, according to him, was charged to court and on the instruction of the UPU, Chief Albert Akpomudje (SAN) represented Ese Oruru in the court.

He said this is the extent to which the UPU is committed to defending and protecting an Urhobo son or daughter.

Omene said: “I recall how I instructed that vehicles be provided to carry Urhobo women and youths to court to serve as moral support and solidarity for Ese Oruru.”

Ese's mother explaining some points to a police officer

He said in his capacity as UPU President General, he went to Bayelsa to see the police commissioner to personally thank him on behalf of Urhobo people for what he did in Ese Oruru’s case.

“I also went to the Non-Governmental Organisations that helped to sensitize the public and government on the issue to express the gratitude of Urhobo people to them,” Omene said.

All these, according to him, he did because of his love and commitment to the welfare of Urhobo people and because of the need to protect their life anywhere in the world.

Chief Omene cited another example of UPU commitment to defending Urhobo interest when he said: “There was a time when Urhobo indigenes were allegedly attacked by Ogbe-Ijaw and Isaba people in Aladja, and many of them had to relocate to Warri.

“The Ijaws hoisted their flag after sacking two Urhobo villages.

“We see this as unacceptable; an attack on Urhobo people in Aladja is an attack on the entire Urhobo nation and we immediately sent a high-powered Urhobo delegation to Aladja to discuss possible ways of assisting the Urhobo indigenes there but with a warning not to do anything that would escalate the situation and today, there is relative peace in Aladja.”

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