There is a repeat of the Hushpuppi/Abba Kyari saga at the 4 Brigade, Benin, Edo State, as soldiers are protesting the alleged criminal activities of two officers: Lt. Col. Emmanuel Ayegba and Capt. Eddyson Okakah, who connived with Internet fraudsters, popularly called Yahoo boys, to make huge sums of money.
They were also allegedly involved in other illegal activities, which they denied.
Ayegba is the Commander of Operation WABAZIGAN, a security outfit set up by the Godwin Obaseki administration in Edo State, while Okakah is the Officer-in-Charge (O/C) of Military Police at 4 Brigade, Benin.
The aggrieved soldiers pleaded with the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt. Gen. Faruk Yahaya, to intervene, in order to restore sanity to the 4 Brigade and the entire Army.
Our reporter gathered yesterday in Benin that Ayegba and Okakah were allegedly living beyond their means, and emboldening the Yahoo boys, who recently “sprayed” Okakah over N4 million at a social event.
Ayegba lives at the 4 Brigade headquarters in the Government Reservation Area (GRA), beside Government House, Benin, while Okakah is not living either at the brigade headquarters or at the army barracks in Ekenwan, on the outskirts of Benin, but residing in his recently-built mansion on Airport Road, Benin.
The aggrieved soldiers declared, while speaking in confidence, that by allowing the two officers to continue to stay at the brigade, without being investigated, they would pollute the Army and make the committed personnel to also be cutting corners, and be involved in unethical practices.
One of the displeased soldiers alleged: “Capt. Okakah is regularly, mostly on a weekly basis, collecting N100,000 and above from soldiers at the various checkpoints in Edo State, depending on the location. Besides regularly forcing the soldiers at the security locations to part with cash, he would still burst them to make more money. The extortion is becoming unbearable. How will the soldiers at the checkpoints and locations in Edo State not be angry?”
The protesting soldiers also alleged that instead of keeping Edo safe, Ayegba and Okakah were conniving with criminals to enrich themselves, thereby heightening insecurity in the state.
Reacting, Ayegba said: “Thank you. The Brigade’s PRO will respond.”
Okakah said: “I was earlier today (yesterday) at the Catholic Church in Benin City to worship God. All the allegations levelled against me are lies. God forbid that I will be involved in such criminal activities.”
Spokesman for 4 Brigade Capt. Olayemi Sokoya said that since he had just heard of the allegations levelled against the two officers, he would find out and get back to our reporter, but did not do so at press time