………….how a slave became a slave Master in Ofu Local Government Area.
In the heart of Kogi East particularly in Ofu Local Government, a dangerous story is unfolding one that illustrates how political protection can transform a once ordinary figure into a feared enforcer. The man at the centre of this tale is Sumaila Umoru, popularly known as Sumaila Inspector, whose name now sends shivers across communities in Ejule and beyond. Once a nobody, he has become the new slave master of a people trapped in silence and fear.
Photographs making the rounds reveal the disturbing closeness between Kogi State Deputy Governor Joel Oyibo and this dreaded political thug. These images are not mere social courtesies; they are evidence of the political cover that has emboldened Sumaila Inspector to operate unchecked, terrorizing the very citizens government is meant to protect.
The reality is no longer hidden. The Kogi State Government is aware of him. The Governor is aware. The Kogi State Command of the Nigeria Police Force knows of his operations. The Department of State Services (DSS) is not ignorant. The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) is equally informed. Yet, all these agencies remain handicapped, not because they lack the capacity to act, but because Sumaila Inspector enjoys the sacred shield of government protection.
A string of kidnappings, violent intimidation, and open extortion have been linked directly to him. Still, the Deputy Governor has continued to shelter him, raising questions about the true nature of power and governance in Kogi State. What was once whispered in corners has now become public knowledge — insecurity in Kogi East is not an accident; it is orchestrated, nurtured, and protected by those in government.
The most recent episode of this tyranny has unfolded in Ofu. Community after community is summoned by town criers to abandon their livelihoods and work on Sumaila Inspector’s farm without pay. What once was voluntary communal service under respected figures like Sheikh Okete has now been twisted into forced labour enforced at gunpoint. Today, it is Umomi community’s turn. Refusal is not an option. Those who dare to resist are visited with armed thugs who mete out brutal punishment. Many youths have lost their lives in this cycle of coerced servitude.
In Ejule and its surrounding areas, extortion has been institutionalized under Sumaila’s watch. Tipper and lorry drivers must part with ₦5,000 before they can work. Keke riders are compelled to pay ₦100. These illegal levies, collected openly, have turned economic survival into another instrument of oppression. Businesses are crippled, and livelihoods strangled, yet no one dares to speak loudly for fear of reprisal.
According to political commentator Omera Opaluwa, what is happening in Ofu is nothing less than a descent into slavery. “Sumaila Inspector is not just a thug,” Opaluwa warns. “He is the creation of a corrupt political system that rewards violence and shields criminals. Communities are no longer free; they are enslaved to the whims of one man backed by the very government that should protect them. This is not governance. This is bondage.”
Opaluwa further exposed the systematic defence strategy deployed by the Deputy Governor’s loyalists. He revealed that groups of young men have been recruited and paid to sanitize Sumaila’s image on social media, attacking anyone who dares to raise questions. This calculated propaganda aims to normalize impunity and divert attention from the real issues, but the truth, he insists, will eventually come out.
For many in Ofu, silence has become a survival strategy. Citizens hesitate to report Sumaila’s activities to security authorities, knowing that those very agencies are compromised. Fear of violent attacks has kept communities subdued, their voices stifled, and their dignity eroded.
The tragedy of Ofu is not just the rise of one thug but the complicity of a system that has allowed him to thrive. The Deputy Governor’s closeness to Sumaila is not speculation — it is proven in pictures and in practice. And every day this alliance continues, the line between governance and gangsterism blurs further.
The story of Sumaila Inspector is not merely about a man who rose from nothing to become powerful. It is about how political patronage can transform a slave into a slave master, leaving communities trapped in fear, forced labour, and extortion. It is about how those in power have traded the safety of their people for loyalty from thugs.
Kogi East now sits at a dangerous crossroads. The people whisper their pain. The leaders close their eyes. The security agencies fold their arms. And the thug-turned-master continues to reign. But as Omera Opaluwa cautions, no propaganda can silence the truth forever. The people of Ofu may be subdued today, but history will remember who enslaved them and who stood aside while it happened.
