•Says killers of soldiers must be brought to book
From Femi Folaranmi, Yenagoa
A month after soldiers invaded Igbomotoro community in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of Bayelsa State in search of suspected killers of 17 soldiers at Okuama, in Delta State, Bayelsa State Governor, Douye Diri, has visited the community declaring that there no going back to the era of militancy.
Diri, who was accompanied by the Commanding Officer, 16 Brigade of the Nigeria Army, Yenagoa, Brigadier General Oluremi Obolo, Secretary to the State Government, SSG, Prof. Nimbofa Ayawei, and former SSG and federal permanent secretary, Ambassador Boladei Igali, and other government officials, while addressing a cross-section of the people at Igbomotoro Town Hall, condemned the brutal killing of the soldiers.
Dirir, who noted that the killing was regrettable, expressed sadness that what happened in Delta State is being felt by the people of the community in Bayelsa State.
He urged the military authorities to continue with a painstaking investigation to unveil the killers and their sponsors, adding that all those involved must be brought to book to face the full wrath of the law.
Diri who seized the opportunity to warn youths of the community against criminality noted that the era of militancy in Ijaw land was over.
His words: “I have come to meet with you the Igbomotoro Community that enough is enough, in every season there is a time for everything. The era of militancy is over and this is the era of intellectual engagement. This is what your government is set to do and your government has been doing.
“Ijaw people are very intelligent people, we can compete with anybody anywhere in the world, and we should not be seen as cannon folders and this is a warning to all of those who are still cannon folders to have a rethink.
“Your government is establishing schools particularly schools with skills acquisition, science and technical colleges even in empowering programmes and we want our youths to key into it and drop your guns.
“Youths cannot take over leadership of the community by force, that is what we have started seeing in our communities and this again will be a warning to all of our traditional rulers, they must stay at home to lead the people and any traditional ruler that is not found in his base, I will promptly remove that traditional ruler.
“And my advice to the military is that they must painstakingly investigate the killings in Okuama to ascertain those that are culpable so that innocent people will not be sacrificed. The truth is what Ijaw people want and those behind the killings in Okuama should be properly investigated and unveiled to the Nigerian public. They should face the wrath of the law. That is my humble appeal to the Nigeria military and all the security agencies.
“Those who must have sponsored even the killers all should be brought to book. You cannot imagine soldiers who are actually expected to secure us as civilians being brutally murdered in broad daylight. What are we looking for, is it the oil? Has oil actually become a curse in Ijaw nation rather than a blessing to Ijaw land? Has oil become a curse to Bayelsa State rather than a blessing to the people of Bayelsa State.
“The military has cooperated and they told me that you can go about your normal business, they will not hurt innocent people and I am sure that from when that incident happened until today at least we are beginning to have total freedom in Igbomotoro Community.
“Please go about your normal business as we will continue to engage the federal government and the military high command so that this incident will be brought to a permanent rest, but those who were killed must be brought to book.”