YENAGOA — REPRIEVE is on the way for the displaced people of Beletiama community in the Brass local government area of Bayelsa State as work on the re-construction of their devastated community is nearing completion.
The coastal settlement situated on the Cape Formosa Island off the Atlantic coast of Brass was completely destroyed seven years ago with its residents forced into exile in the wake of violent clashes with its Egwema and Liama neighbours occasioned by the killing of a Liama woman by her boyfriend, a native of Beletiama.
The reconstruction of the sacked community after nearly seven years of the natives' sojourn in foreign land by the state government, Vanguard learnt, followed the signing of the Cape Formosa peace accord between the warring communities brokered by the Bayelsa East Special Duties Commissioner, Mr. Azibaolanari Nelson and the Nembe council of chiefs.
Our correspondent who visited the troubled island observed that the deserted community whose entire houses were reduced to rubbles is gradually wearing a new look with several new buildings springing up and nearing completion.
Also a borehole of about one hundred and fifty feet has been sunk to provide potable water for the returning people while a seven classroom block which would serve as the community's secondary school has been completed to enable the displaced students scattered across the state resume normal academic work on returning to their community.
Although the community's primary school was yet to be completed, the workers on site told our correspondent that as soon as materials arrived from Yenagoa they would finish work on the the project which has only its roofing left.
Nelson who spoke to Vanguard on government's efforts in the area said with the level of progress recorded so far, the displaced natives are expected to return to their ancestral land in the next two months.
The Commissioner also disclosed that the National Emergency Management Agency is expected to send a team to the state for on-the-spot assessment with a view to assisting the state government in its on-going resettlement of communities devastated by communal strife as well as come up with recommendations for action plan implementation.
He, however, blamed the delay in the completion of the resettlement programme on logistics occasioned by the difficult terrain of the state.
No fewer than five communities have been sacked as a result of communal strife in the predominantly riverine state and these include Fonibiri, Emadike, Ewoama, Beletiama and Kunu Adagbabiri.
