By Charles Ogbu

I used to have a great deal of sympathy for Bonaventure Mokwe-Dikeh, a businessman whose hotel was demolished under the govt of Peter Obi but not anymore. I think the man has since replaced his quest for justice with an agenda to destroy Obi’s political career for the benefit of some political interests in and outside Anambra.

According to Mr Bonaventure, his hotel was demolished by the govt of Peter Obi after the Police found human skulls and Ak47 guns in one of the rooms – an exhibit he insists was planted in his hotel by some Onitsha indigens to get back at him after they lost control of a major motor park to him.

Mr Bonaventure has since gone to court. He has equally approached the Anambra Judicial Panel of Inquiry on Police Brutalities and the relevant respondents including Peter Obi have indicated interest to appear before the Judicial Panel.

For months, Mr Bonaventure has been going all over the media houses including AIT and Arise TV but strangely, instead of throwing more light on the identity of the Onitsha indigens who he accused of planting the human skulls and guns which the state govt under Peter Obi relied upon to demolish his hotel, he is more interested in creating and pushing the narrative that all the atrocities allegedly committed by Anambra Police under Obi were personally ordered by the former governor. And in one of his audios circulating on the net which I have in my possession, he was boasting that unless Peter Obi agrees to pay him money that will be enough to build another hotel and settle legal expenses, he would not rest until he destroys Obi’s political career in Nigeria.

This clearly suggest the man is no longer seeking justice but is now playing some dirty anti-Obi politics with his case.

I mean, it is a common knowledge that at a time when crime rate was too high in Anambra state, the then governor Obi introduced a law that said any property used to perpetrate crimes such as kidnapping, killing etc would be demolished. So many buildings were demolished in line with that law. And of course, it’s likely that some buildings belonging to innocent people may be caught up in the process. Personally, having listened to Mr Bonaventure and how he was tortured by the notorious SARS who took him on a long fishing expedition, I am persuaded to believe he may have a case against the Police at least for torture and brutality but emotion aside, since the Police found human skulls and guns in the hotel which was the basis for the demolition by the state govt, the success of his case rests on proving the human skulls and guns were planted and since he claims to know the people who planted them, he ought to focus on proving that starting with revealing their identities. But he cannot successfully do that if he continues using his case to pursue a vendetta against Obi.

What is the connection between his case and Peter Obi’s political career?? I mean why does it seem difficult for us to do anything with the needed focus without introducing unnecessary agenda into it?

You yourself admitted that human skulls and AK47 were found in your hotel but that they were planted by your opponents with whom you’ve had a bitter fight over the control of a motor park. Since every misfortune that befell you including your arrest and detention and torture plus hotel demolition were all premised on the discovery of those human skulls and guns in one of the rooms in your hotel, you should be busy unmasking the identities of the people you believe planted them because that is the foundation upon which your innocence rests. This Peter Obi obsession is just a huge disservice to your case. A distraction. Yes, we are largely emotive people who like to identity with the weaker party in every dispute; Yes, we largely have a healthy dislike for politicians and Obi is one And yes, everyone wants to ride on the moment provided by the #EndSars protest but trust me, there are still people who are not carried away by public sentiment and unnecessary herd mentality.

Focus on your case and stop personalizing it. If you have a case, I’m certain that the current govt of Willie Obiano will not hesitate to pay you compensation even if it is just to prove a point against Obi. You cannot be dragging Peter Obi’s name all over the place while protecting the identities of the Onitsha big man and his group who you accused of planting human skulls and AK47 which led to the demolition of your hotel. This is not adding up. Not at all.