Ex-militant threatens Ondo council boss over stoppage of staff salary

The Council boss alleged stopped paying salaries to about 60 workers because they did not vote for Mimiko

An ex-militant in Ondo State has warned a local government chairman to pay some workers their salary or face the wrath of the militants.

The Coordinator of the Niger-Delta People’s Volunteers Force, NDPVF, in the Western zone, Toikumoh Layefa, on Wednesday, warned the Caretaker Committee Chairman of Ese-Odo Council Area of Ondo, Akin Sowore, over his refusal to pay the October salaries of about 61 council workers.

The NDPVF was formed by an ex-militant leader and ally of President Goodluck Jonathan, Asari Dokubo.

The October salary of over 60 workers of the council was allegedly stopped by the council boss because the workers did not vote for the gubernatorial candidate of Labour Party, Olusegun Mimiko, during the October 20 election.

The chairman was alleged to have written an internal memo to the Council’s Director of Local Government Administration, directing him to stop further payment of salaries of the staff until further notice.

Mr. Sowore, according to sources in the coastal council, vowed to take back his pound of flesh from the workers whom he believed did not support and vote for the candidate of the ruling Labour Party ,LP, in the election won by Mr. Mimiko.

The local government was won by the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Olusola Oke.

However, the NDPVF coordinator frowned at the attitude of the council chairman, stressing that the vindictive nature of Mr. Sowore would put the council administration in jeopardy and run it aground.

Mr. Layefa, who is a leader of ex-agitators in the state, vowed to make the council ungovernable for the council boss if he did not pay the affected staff before the next pay day.

The ex-agitator, who had with him the list of the affected council workers and their bank details, noted that the chairman erred to have taken such vindictive action against presumed opposition council staff over the governorship election.

He urged the state governor, Olusegun Mimiko, to caution the council chairman over his inhuman behaviour towards the staff and people of the council area which he said, could trigger violent reactions in the coastal communities.

When contracted for his reaction over stoppage of the staff salary, the council boss refused to pick or respond to phone calls. Mr. Sowore was also not at his duty desk in the council secretariat at Igbekebo as at the time of this report.