That Mr. Sunny Jackson Edema (a.k.a Sunny Deghele), exited planet earth through the bullets of gunmen, at about 2.30 a.m. on December 25, 2005, is no longer news. The news Itsekiri and indeed Deltans are eagerly waiting for is the answer to the question: Who killed Sunny Deghele? As the foremost grassroots newspaper covering the area the deceased hailed from, Warri Mirror went to town to scoop for the minutest detail concerning the unfortunate death of this dependable Itsekiri rights activist. What you are about to read here will never, ever be published in any print media, big or small.
            The Man Sunny Deghele: Until his unfortunate death, Sunny Deghele was the Chairman of one of the 12 controversial and discredited Community Development Committees (CDCs) – Orere CDC in Warri South-West LGA – the Governor James Ibori-led Delta State government, arbitrarily created exclusively in the three Warri council areas. Edema in his mid 30s (between 35 – 38 years old), was also the Chairman of Tebu and Deghele communities in Warri South LGA. He was a key member of the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Delta State. Until his death, he was actively involved in politics, (oil) business and community matters. He had 10 children from two women plus several other concubines. He had a cult-like loyalty of youths in the area, particularly in the Benin River where he was said to have a firm grip. He was feared by all: Chevron, Shell, etc: politicians and community leaders. In fact, to many, he was like a small god, Lord of the Benin River.
            How he died: As early as 11a.m. last Christmas eve, Sunny Deghele allegedly opened the boot of his brand-new C-class Mercedes Benz car, and loaded it with some millions of naira allegedly given to him by an Itsekiri-born senior Delta State official, for sharing to “the boys” as their Christmas package.
We gathered that the top government official picked Sunny Deghele to handle the 2005 Christmas package for “the boys” in the three Warri LGAs because a rascally youth in the area and blind loyalist of the said government official pocketed two million out of the three million naira given to him for sharing to “the boys” in the three Warri LGAs in December 2004. Both the said youth and the said government official, a medical practitioner by profession, were allegedly rough handled by angry youths over the 2994 largesse to the extent that the government official vowed not to give out Christmas package again in future.
However, perhaps, because he now suddenly has so much confidence in the late Sunny Deghele, he resolved to rescind his earlier decision and indeed handed over the 2005 Xmas package for “the boys” to Sunny for sharing.
A source told Warri Mirror that not less than five million naira was voted for the exercise. It was part of this money the late Deghele started sharing to “the boys” all over Warri, as early as 11a.m. on December 24, 2005 till about 2a.m. on December 25, 2005 when he decided to retire to his mistress’ apartment, from his last sharing point somewhere around Odion road in Warri.
According to informed sources, the mistress, one Jenifer Ngozi, who escaped police arrest after the incident, resides somewhere around Ekurede-Urhobo area of Warri. Sunny Deghele drove down to this place at about 2.30a.m. to have a good rest in preparation for various events lined up for the Christmas celebration. But behold, as he was hooting the horn of his car for the gate to the house to be opened, four armed men suddenly appeared from the dark and ordered him out of the car. Sensing danger and perhaps out of impulse, he engaged his car’s automatic gear system into reverse and started moving. One of the hoodlums opened fire on him but he refused to stop. With a shattered side wind screen and multiple bullet wounds, he drove, without stopping for his assailants to catch up with him, straight to the office of Mobile Police Quick Response Squared, which is not too far from the scene of the crime. On getting there, the gate was locked. He managed to come down and raised alarm before men of the Unit came to his rescue. He was immediately rushed to St. Louis Hospital within the area but the doctor on duty told them that they can’t handle the case and he was promptly rushed to the Central hospital, GRA, Warri. After a while there, he gave up the ghost, perhaps due to the excessive lost of blood as a result of the gun injury.
            Immediate Effect of His Death: As a popular leader in the area with a retinue of fiery loyalists, the news of the death of Sunny Deghele, early Christmas day, was a rude shock to many. There was serious tension all over Warri as his loyalists and top government officials in Delta State poised for a showdown with perceived enemies and opposition group. Before long, the ‘B’ division of the Nigerian Police Force under the leadership (DPO) of Mr. Godwin Ughoton, an Urhobo born Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP) recently transferred to the area from Zone 5, Benin, swung into action. Some arrests were made but all were those perceived to be enemies of the deceased and in opposition of the State Government and Itsekiri serving in it.
            A Death Politicised: Right from the time the news of Sunny Deghele’s death was broken, there was a sharp divide among Itsekiri youths. There were those loyal to Dr. Emmanuel Udugahan and Governor Ibori on one side and those loyal to Chief (Dr.) Roland Oritsehafor and the Warri monarchical system on the other hand. Suffice it to say that the late Sunny Deghele was a strong member of the Ibori-Uduaghan camp. As at today, all the suspects of Itsekiri extraction arrested in connection with this matter belong to the other group. Warri Mirror investigation revealed that the clampdown on the other group is as a result of the vibrant opposition the State Government is getting from them in the recent past and the fact that the PDP structure in the three Warri LGAs is absolutely in their control. Thus, the arrest was meant to weaken their strength.
While fighting like a wounded lion, the other group, in a bid to perhaps embarrass the Warri monarch, made all efforts to stop him from attending a Christmas thanksgiving service at the Church within the Palace. The monarch was indeed, on the alleged prompting of Ibori and his Itsekiri brother, placed under House arrest for several hours. It took the timely intervention of Dr. Oritsejafor, who is the Minister of State for Defence, for the monarch to “regain his freedonm and participated in the said thanksgiving service. So far, the State police headquarters in Asaba has arrested not less than 12 people, mostly Itsekiri, including Chief Francis Omateye. After interrogation, we gathered that the police found nothing to nail all the Itsekiri arrested but were not released on the orders of Ibori. We have it on good authority that the police wanted to release Chief Omatseye a day after his arrested but the government pressured them not to; for security reasons.
            Assassination/Murder Or Robbery? Initially, the police may have worked on the theory of assassination but the arrest of four non-Itsekiri suspects, including one London, and Isoko-born brother in-law of the late Sunny, must have shattered this theory like a peak of card.
According to our investigations, the arrest of the four suspects was made possible by a group of Itsekiri men very close to late Deghele, among them a prominent local government Chairman. We gathered that the said LGA Chairman’s car was even used to set-up the four suspects now in police net. The Chairman and his group had gone to this 4-man gang who ostensibly killed Sunny Deghele. They congratulated the killers for a job well done and told them that there is a fresh job for them. Unknowing to the killers, the LGA Chairman and his group have arranged with men of the Quick Response Squad to apprehend the gang on their way to the pseudo assignment. The trap worked and the four criminals were caught and taken to the mobile barracks. There, the LGA Chairman’s group in conjunction with the police, told the 4-man gang to make false confessional statement that they were sent by some innocent Itsekiri some of whom were already in police detention. We gathered that it was when one of them allegedly bluntly refused to play ball that he was shot do death right there in the police barrack. The police claimed later that he was killed because he wanted to escape.
As at the time of filing in this report, it was not clear if the other three suspects made any such statement to implicate innocent Itsekiris in the death of Sunny Deghele. However, we gathered that in their Statement at Asaba, they confessed to killing Sunday Deghele with the intention of snatching the money in his possession. They claimed that Deghele was killed because he refused to co-operate with them. They even confessed an Isoko monarch as the owener of the very gun that was used in sniffing life out of Sunny Deghele. We gathered that the monarch was arrested and handcuffed to Asaba. He has made useful statement to the police and has been released on bail (self recognition).
We also scooped that the three suspects who have allegedly confessed to the crime, have not in any way mentioned the name of any of the Itsekiri arrested in connection with this mater, as their cohort or sponsor. This, however did not go down well with some people in Asaba who are trying all they can to influence the police into torturing the 3 suspects to confessing some targeted innocent Itsekiri, as sponsors of the heinous crime. This situation has further heightened tension in the area.
A source told Warri Mirror. “If the police really want to work, they will, in no time fish out the real sponsors if any of Sunny Deghele’s killers, who, as God wants it have confessed to the crime, certain questions must be answered. Who set them up? How did those people know that they killed Sunny Deghele? How did they know their hide out? Whose car (Jeep) was used for the set up? Who drove the car? In fact, who is envious of Sunny Deghele’s sudden rise to prominence within the Asaba caucus? Who are those he had leadership problem with in Deghele before his death? Who were those annoyed that he was charged with the responsibility of sharing this year’s Christmas money for “the boys”? These questions and more are begging for answers”. The source further stated that Sunny Deghele’s death looked like assassination to the uniformed, since the assailants did not pick a pin from the car but pointed our that the robbers could not have picked up anything from the car since Sunny Deghele, despite the bullet wound, did not stop the car one moment. “Do they expect the robbers, to chase Sunny Deghele to the Mobile barracks because they want the money or handsets at all cost? That, of course will be absurd and not even Oenusi, Anini or Osubor would have done that”, he concluded.
            Present Position: There have been petitions and counter-petitions after the unfortunate death of Sunny Deghele. His younger brother, Johnbull Atumu, petitioned the Presidency and copied the Inspector General of Police, linking his brother’s death to so many factors. He believed some key officials at some community leaders and business associates whom his late brother had dealings with. Similarly, two petitions also emanated from the Warri Council of Chiefs alleging that some people have perfected plans to burn down the Warri monarch’s palace. Based on the strength of this petitions, a newly re-appointed commissioners in Delta State and a one-time councilor in Warri South LGA, were quizzed by security operatives in connection with the alleged plan, which was linked to them.
Also, the palace of the Olu of Warri have petitioned the Presidency over the December 25, 2005 embarrassment by security operatives in the state, allegedly o the order of governor Ibori and a top Itsekiri man in his cabinet. Another petition was said to have been sent to the Inspector General of Police by Mrs. Oris Okotie-Eboh, who is allegedly on the wanted list of those loyal to the late Sunny Deghele. She wants the investigation transferred out of the Delta State Police Command.
Perhaps, in view of all this, the IGP, Mr. Sunday Ehindero, ordered the immediate transfer of the case to Abuja. All the suspects in connection to the case have been moved to Abuja. Those already on bail have also been ordered to report to Abuja promptly.
However, information at our disposal as at the time of going to press, indicates that those already granted bail in Asaba have also been granted bail in Abuja. The police seem to have narrowed down completely on the three surviving prime suspects who have made confession statements, owning up to committing the crime. What the police are still working on at the moment is to find out if they committed the crime on their own or some persons or group of persons sponsored them.
            “We are not relaxing on this matter because we believe in justice and any body who has committed a crime should be made to pay the price if convicted. Investigation into this matter has been very serious and we are not relenting until those behind the dastard killing are arrested”, the Delta State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Udom Ekpoudom, stated shortly after confirming the transfer of the case to Abuja.
            Role of the Press: The Nigerian press, top Delta government officials allegedly paid particularly the Warri Correspondent Chapel, to do a hatchet job. According to the allegations, a very senior Itsekiri man in the State government to coordinate the correspondent chapel contacted a certain reporter in Warri who is reputed for mudslinging and blackmail journalism. The assignment was to, from day one paint a picture of assassination of Sunny Deghele and indeed cast aspersions that the killing was ordered by identified perceived enemies and oppositions of the deceased and the State government. A fee of over one million Naira was allegedly paid to this reporter who was sacked from Vanguard newspapers some years back, as a result of similar unprofessional conduct.
This reporter, we further gathered, shared only a quarter of the fee to his unsuspecting colleagues and pocketed the rest. Some major magazines were also contacted to do similar job. Thus, the slant in most sectors of the Nigerian press as witnessed in their various publications.
            “It is very unfortunate that our people in Asaba have totally politicised the brutal killing of this illustrious Itsekiri son. Rather than face the issue and get down to basics as to fishing out the sponsor (if any) of this wicked act, they are merely chasing shadows and hunting imaginary enemies, while the real culprits will possibly be somewhere laughing at them. Sunny Deghele was a hero.
“He was a Warrior and he had so many enemies particularly in the Ijaw fold. Remember that the Ijaws burnt down his over two hundred million Naira camp during the crisis. Remember that the Ijaws killed his younger brother in the most brutal manner. Remember that he had problem with one Sunny, an Ijaw youth, who allegedly led attack on his (Deghele’s) camp. I know that the late Sunny Deghele vowed to deal with this same Ijaw guy for all the atrocities he committed against him and Itsekiris.
“The said Ijaw guy too vowed to silence Sunny Deghele whenever the opportunity first. Why are our people not exploring this angle? Why are they bent on nailing their fellow Itsekiri brothers who are obviously innocent of this crime? Is this how to play politics? Is this how to achieve your ambition? By embarrassing the entire Itsekiri, including our highly respected monarch? This is sad, very sad”, was how a prominent youth leader in the area who pleaded anonymity expressed his view.
            When contacted another youth leader in the area, Mr. Daniel Reyenieju, ruled out armed robbery in the killing of Sunny Deghele.
According to him, armed robbery attack was a possible variable some few hours after he was shot dead “but after the arrest and subsequent confession of some of the suspects already in police net, it became obvious that the possibility of robbery should be completely ruled out as confirmed by the Delta State Police Command through their spokesperson, Miss Olabisi Okuwobi, published in a national newspaper (The Daily Independent) of January 6, 2006 on page VII.”
            Mr. Reyenieju appealed to the Itsekiri nation to be calm so that the police carry out their investigation thoroughly, adding, “it is the responsibility of all Itsekiris to assist the police with vital information that will expose the killers and their sponsor or sponsors, if any”.