Prince Amen Edore Oyakhire (born 21 October 1945) was the Military Administrator of

Taraba State ) , image_map = Nigeria - Taraba.svg , map_alt = , map_caption = Location of Taraba State in Nigeria , coordinates = , coor_pinpoint = , coordinates_footnotes = , ...

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

between August 1996 and August 1998 during the military regime of General

Sani Abacha Sani Abacha (20 September 1943 – 8 June 1998) was a Nigerian military officer and politician who ruled as the military head of state of Nigeria from 1993 until his death in 1998. He seized power on 17 November 1993 in the last successful c ...

. He was then administrator of

Oyo State Oyo State is an inland state in southwestern Nigeria. Its capital is Ibadan, the third most populous city in the country and formerly the second most populous city in Africa. Oyo State is bordered to the north by Kwara State, to the east by Osun ...

during the transitional regime of General

Abdulsalami Abubakar Abdulsalami Abubakar (; born 13 June 1942) is a Nigerian statesman and retired Nigerian Army general who served as the ''de facto'' President of Nigeria from 1998 to 1999. He was also Chief of Defence Staff between 1997 and 1998. He succeede ...

, handing over to the elected civilian governor

Lam Onaolapo Adesina Lamidi Ona-Olapo Adesina (20 January 1939 – 11 November 2012) was a Nigerian politician and educator who became governor of Oyo State in Nigeria on 29 May 1999 after winning the 1999 Oyo State gubernatorial election as a member of the Allianc ...

in May 1999 at the start of the

Nigerian Fourth Republic The Fourth Republic is the current republican government of Nigeria. Since 1999, it has governed the country according to the fourth republican constitution. It was in many ways a revival of the Second Republic, which was in place between 1979 and ...

Police career

Oyakhire was a commissioner of police, later an Assistant Inspector General (AIG). He was the Police Commissioner,

Plateau State Plateau State is the twelfth-largest Nigerian state. It is in the centre of the country includes a range of hills surrounding the Jos Plateau, its capital, and the entire plateau itself. Plateau State is described as "The Home of Peace and To ...

Command before being appointed administrator of Taraba State. In Taraba State, Oyakhire had to deal with hostilities between the Kuteb and

Chamba Chamba may refer to: People * Gilberto Chamba (born 1961), Ecuadorian serial killer * Jessica Chamba (born 1981), European activist Places Ghana * Chamba, a town in the Northern Region India * Chamba (Vidhan Sabha constituency), Himachal Pradesh ...

and Jukun ethnic groups. In October 1997 he sent a paper called ''Comprehensive brief on the Chieftaincy Stool of Takum Chiefdom Taraba State'' to the Armed Forces Ruling Council. That month seven people were killed and seven houses razed in communal violence, and 31 people were arrested. Oyakhire said anyone suspected of involvement in the communal violence would be treated as detractors of the transition to civil rule. In 1998 the Taraba State Government also set up a Peace Committee which managed to negotiate a temporary peace between the ethnic groups. Shortly before the handover to civilian government in May 1999, Oyakhire told a U.S. Embassy observer team that "Power is to be handed over to credible people who have the fear of God in their hearts, and this will ensure the stability of the nation".

Later career

Oyakhire was made to retire in June 1999 along with all other governors in the previous military regime. In August 1999 the Oyo State government asked the army to help recover property allegedly stolen by Oyakhire and his aides, including vehicles and electronic gadgets. The request was refused. In December 1999 Oyakhire's house in Lagos was raided by armed robbers who stole property worth several million naira. An article on witchcraft published in The Daily Independent reported that 27 people were killed in Ozalla, Edo State on 4 November 2004. The article said the Ozalla massacre was triggered by a letter from Oyakhire blaming witches in the community for his inability to afford a suitable home in the town, for non-payment of his police pension and for insanity among his children.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Oyakhire, Amen Edore Nigerian military personnel 1945 births Living people Governors of Oyo State Governors of Taraba State