AT least 80 persons were Friday arrested by the police for defying orders of the Ughelli North Local Government Council on the postponement of the annual ‘orogun efe’ festival.
The local government council in a meeting held at the council secretariat with prominent Orogun indigenes ordered that the festival be postponed, following the disagreement between two warring factions over when the festival should be held.
Unconfirmed source told Saturday Vanguard that the five quarters that made up the Orogun clan had met and agreed in a meeting held at Umusu quarters that the festival be held on the 18th of April, 2013.
Another source from the Unukpo quarter said their agreed date was on the condition that the disagreement between Umusu and Unukpo be resolved before the end of March, 2013, adding that agreement was not met hence they fixed 10th of April 2013 for the festival but was not held on the orders of the council.
As at the time of filing this report, armed soldiers and policemen were still seen patrolling the streets of the town to forestall the breakdown of law and order in the hitherto peaceful community.
Speaking to Saturday Vanguard, the Council C hairman, Chief Friday Akpoyibo said the council was out to maintain peace and order in the council without minding whose ox is gored.
He said he has however appealed to the police to release all those arrested in connection with the crisis resulting from the date of the festival.
Source: Vanguard