Elder statesman and National Leader of the Pan-Niger Delta Forum, Chief Edwin Clark, has denounced a military raid on his rural home in the Kiagbodo Local Government Area of Delta State.
Clark, in a statement he signed on Tuesday, described how he received numerous calls informing him about the military raid on his rural home by soldiers searching for someone named Vote, who is suspected to be connected to the killing of 17 soldiers in Okuama. He mentioned receiving an apology from a person identified as the Commanding Officer Nigerian Army, Division in Port Harcourt, on behalf of the Army, for the raid.
He mentioned that the military personnel arrived in five trucks with armed soldiers, totaling between 30 and 40, and simultaneously used drones within the compound.
He stated, "Some of them went to the buildings behind the main house and forced open all the locked doors. They brought out my staff living in those buildings, as well as university lecturers, and made them sit on the ground.
They also broke into my late brother, Ambassador Akporode Blessing Clark’s house. He had served the country internationally in various roles, including as Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations and Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and we shared the same premises. They brought out his son who was almost naked as he was in the middle of taking a bath when they entered the house.
They confiscated everyone's phones and demanded identification, then requested his telephone number, which they said they would give to their leader before departing. He mentioned the expectation of a call to the Governor of Delta State to inform him of the incident.
Clark highlighted that the incident was "beyond coincidence" and was troubling, recalling a previous raid on his Abuja home on September 4, 2018. He deemed the authorization of such raids as "disrespectful and unlawful", given his nearly 70 years of service to the country in various capacities.
He stated, "Once again, I urge the relevant authorities to allow me to live in peace and treat me with the respect that I deserve, considering my long years of service to this country, even at the age of 97, until it pleases the Almighty God to call me home.
To conclude, he addressed all concerned with what he communicated to President Muhammadu Buhari when his security details were withdrawn. He stated that if he were to die of natural causes today, it would be a time for celebration. However, if his death were due to any suspicious acts by certain overzealous state actors, he expressed uncertainty about the potential consequences. He clarified that this was not a threat, but rather an acknowledgment of God’s mercies on him,
