The youths of Otuoke community in Bayelsa state on Saturday physically harassed and assaulted a 300 level Economics and development studies student of Federal University Otuoke, popularly known as Nezie Obi over a fictional story he made on his personal Facebook page.
According to reports, Nezie made a fictional story around how a cheat on his girlfriend with the lead character Karina failed due to some “fufu-like smell” that took over his room when he opened the package to eat the meal before him. In his description of the Karina character, he never mentioned anything about a disclaimer to the story being fictional so, his descriptions matched a particular Karina in Otuoke.
Post Contents
Supposed Karina Threatens Nezie
The lady in question managed to see the publication as the story went viral, she asked and somehow got his contact and warned him to take down the post and threatened him afterward.
“I give you from now till today ends to take the post you made of Karina, If you don’t take it off You are looking for problem you cannot settle in this life, You will regret and your name Obi Nezie Will turn upside down. It won’t take me a minute I will get you with Army and they will pieces your body.” A WhatsApp voice note from the supposed Karina revealed.
Otuoke Community Youths Arrests Nezie For Defamation
According to eyewitness accounts, in the early hours of Saturday, some community youths led by a former student of FUOtuoke, who was also a one time SUG president by name Millow Richard Amalalaobebh came to Nezie’s house and took him to the community town hall where he was physically abused and brutally beaten by youths present.
According to a statement released by Otuoke community youths, he (Nezie Obi) was apprehended because he defamed the community by referring to it as small, has ninja mosquitoes, and also, the sun in the community was too hot for his skin.
“We The Concerned Youths Of Otuohe Community And Other Relevant Pressure Groups In Otuohe And Ogbia L.G.A. At Large Writes To Inform The Entire Public!!!”
“It has come to our notice that some individuals including few Students and former Students Of Federal University Otuohe have taken it upon themselves to regularly dent and ridicule the image of the Community and other respected personalities in the land of Otuoke on social media for no just cause.”
“We are also aware of the recent portray of the Community in a bad lite in other for them to get cheap social media
attention and fame. We would no longer condole any such act of insolence be it directly or indirectly as any similar act like this will be properly dealt with in all legal and traditional ramifications.” The statement reads
Millow has however exonerated himself from the whole matter, saying it was unfortunate he happened to be present at the time the incident occurred, but he never le\d the youths to his house.
Writer Taken To Police After Been Beaten
The student after the incident at the community town hall was thereafter taken to the Kolo Police state where he was detained.
When the DPO arrived, the case was brought before him and he asked that they read the story. After the story was read, he sought to hear what the matter was. That’s when Millow spoke
“That he said Otuoke is a small place. The water in Otuoke has the colour of fanta.
Otuoke has Ninja mosquitos
And the sun is hot”
Because of this description, the CDC chairman said he has defamed the town and must tender an apology to the community on Facebook and delete the said post.
The DPO found it absurd that a community would harass a student over such a trivial matter and told the CDC chairman that the said post is the personal opinion of the young man so there’s no case there.
The DPO asked them to release Nezie to go Home without any condition.
Another Tori4Town: Tottenham Hotspur suffers Double Blow Ahead Of Manchester United Fixture
SUG Confirms Story Was A Fiction, Demands Apology From The Community Leadership
Meanwhile, the student union government of Federal University Otuoke, in after series of investigation and cross-examination of Nezie the writer and the supposed Karina of a lady who felt the story was about her, discovered it was a pure literary fictional art and the descriptions were merely coincidental.
Press Statement From FUOtuoke SUG
The attention of the student’s union government has been called on the brutalization of an honorable student of Federal University Otuoke by the name Mr Nezie who, from the department of economics (300l).
Comr. Nezie was said to have been subjected to inhumane treatment and brutality by members of the Otuoke youth council and other concerned indigenes of the community for making a fictional work of literature where he addressed certain issues which bothers the community particularly the colour of the water which he termed as “fanta colour”, the number of mosquitoes which he termed as “ninja mosquitoes” and that Otuoke was a small village.
The fictional work also concerned a female name known as “Karina” with which he also made an imaginary perspective in the work as literature and many other works of art demands
However, many attributed the roles of the said Karina character to a lady who after close interaction with the SUG and the community has never met the young man (Nezie) before, thereby upholding the fact that it was truly a work of fiction which had no intention to dent the image of anyone at all.
Having read this ideal fiction, concerned indigenes of Otuoke community who having been pained by the truthful reality of the state of the village took to the decision to arrest the student (Nezie) and took him to the community town hall and physically abused him and thereafter, took him to the kolo police station of which on the arrival of the DPO was released for baseless arrest.
After series of agitations, the SUG and other concerned students had a brief meeting with the student involved (Nezie), the said accused Karina, and well-wishers at the home of the SUG president which proved to be productive, peaceful and in accord.
However, the sug received this news with a frown and in boiling spirits and hereby demands as follows ;
That –
- An apology be tendered to the student for physical abuse, abuse of his fundamental human right ( freedom of expression/freedom to thought) as a full citizen of the federal republic of Nigeria.
- That no students should henceforth be taken to the community town hall to face any panel without the inclusiveness or authorization of the school management & sug
- That no students should henceforth be arrested by the police on the orders of the community without approval by the school management & sug
Negligence to these demands will lead and charge the sug to involve relevant agencies, authorities, organizations, and or bodies concerned with students welfare in conjunction with the national association of Nigerian Students (NANS)
Nevertheless, the sug wishes with utmost sincerity that a peaceful atmosphere exists between the students’ community and the host community (Otuoke village).
Other students and student bodies have since condemned the act and have been expressing their grievances on social media and on a popular media platform on Campus called FUO Campus Gist.
