6 ARRESTED AS FRAUDSTERS CREATES 231 FAKE SHRINES IN DELTA

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Fraudsters’ attempts to defraud the Delta State Government on its good intention to dualize the Eku/Amukpe express road within the villages of Eku/Amukpe communities with fake shrines were at the weekend uncovered.

With a total of 231 fake shrines created, the fraudsters allegedly erected the emergency shrines at strategic places close to the road project with the intention to get compensation from the state government.

Confirming the incident, the State Commissioner for Works, Chief James Auguoye said. “We discovered that the 231 shrines were all fake shrines erected by fraudsters within the villages in Ekuy/Amukpe communities, and on a proper investigation, we uncovered those who were behind the act and six of them arrested and handed over to the Police for further investigation.”

It was gathered that the frenzy of the fake shrines began after the news filtered into the Communities that the State Government had awarded the dualization of Eku-Amukpe road to enhance access, promote commerce and industry as well as whittle the incidence of the road frequent mishaps in the recent times. But one of the benefitting communities, indigenes, Monday Oghenero who spoke to our reporter, claimed that the main shrine of the village was located beside the river in Eku, unlike the fake shines being erected by the shoulders of the road at the dualization road.

He said, ”These people were just trying to make money with the whole thing. I am an indigene and I can boldly tell you that all those persons claiming they have shrines close to the roads are fraudsters because most of the shrines you are seeing were erected last week when the news of the dualisation got to them.”

A commercial taxi driver who conveyed our report to Sapele in the cause of the investigation leading up to this report, said, “These Shines you are seeing were not there before. I am a taxi driver and Abraka-Sapele is my route. Some of these shrines you are seeing were not there before, but as soon as they head of the dualisation, people from different villages started coming out to erect shines close to the main road.

“If you look closely at some of the shrines, you will realize that they were done in a hurry. I have been plying this route for seven years now and I can tell you with sincerity that most of these shrines you are seeing were not there before. They are only using them as an opportunity to extort money from contractors, “he claimed.

The driver, who stopped close to one of the shrines at Okpara-Waterside with our report under the guise of urinating, showed out report a shine that was under construction with blocks and cement. While this reporter looked on with keen interest under the same guise, he saw women mounting blocks on top of each other, while the third, dressed in the attire of a native doctor, dished out instructions.

It was also leant that some persons from the villages whose shrines are at the road side, claimed that the dualisation of the road would affect their shrines and for them to relocate them from the site, they needed to be compensated in order to appease their gods.

It was gathered that the affected villages are Eku, Igun, Otumara and Okpara-Waterside, all in Ethiope East Local Government. Our reporter who visited the villages, observed that some of the shrine in question, which were close to the road side, were adorned in red and white regalia, with other items, including some that look like human skulls, and white powder littered on the floor to the entrance of some of them.

However, efforts to quiz some of the heads of the shrines who were present at Otumara Village proved abortive.

In Eku, priest of one of the shrines, who carved anonymity, told this reporter that it was a sacrilege to relocate the shrines, adding that the one way they could do that was first to appease the gods of the land, adding that failure to compensate them, the shrines would not be relocated unless they are remain there.

Source: Leadership