I'm worthy of respect. Clark criticizes military invasion on a country house

Elderly statesman Chief Edwin Clark, National Leader of the Pan-Niger Delta Forum, has denounced a military incursion into his rural residence in Delta State’s Kiagbodo Local Government Area.

In a statement he signed on Tuesday, Clark described how, after receiving a call from someone identifying themselves as the Commanding Officer Nigerian Army, Division in Port Harcourt, apologizing on behalf of the Army, he was deluged with calls informing him of the military’s search for one vote, which was suspected to be connected to the deaths of 17 soldiers in Okuama.

He stated that the men from the military had allegedly shown up in five trucks full of armed soldiers—between thirty and forty in total—while simultaneously operating drones on the premises.

He said, “Some of them went to the buildings behind the main house and broke all the doors that were locked. They matched out my staff living in those buildings, including lecturers at the university, and made them sit on bare ground.

“They also broke into my late brother, Ambassador Akporode Blessing Clark’s house. A man who served this country internationally in various capacities, including as Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations and Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as both of us share the same premises. They brought out his son almost naked, as the young man was taking a bath when they stormed the house.

“All their phones were seized. The people had to identify themselves and told them whose house it was before they asked for my telephone number, which they said they would pass to their “oga” before they all departed. One would have expected that at this juncture, a call could have been put to the Governor of Delta State, to inform him of what happened”.

After serving the nation in various positions for almost 70 years, Clark said the occurrence was “beyond coincidence” and was concerning. He recalled a prior search on his Abuja house on September 4, 2018, and called the authorization of such raids “disrespectful and unlawful.”

“Again, I call on the various state actors to let me live in peace and treat me with the kind of respect that I deserve, having served this country, and still serving even at the age of 97 years, until when it will please the Almighty God to call me home.

“I want to end this write-up by addressing all concerned with what I told President Muhammadu Buhari when my security details were withdrawn. If I die today as a result of a natural occurrence, it will be a joyful celebration. But if my death is linked to any dubious means by some overzealous state actors, no one can tell how far the fire will rage. This is not a threat. It is an acknowledgement of God’s mercies on me,” he added.