WARRI — THE Itsekiri are protesting the continued occupation of Orugbo in the Warri South local government area of Delta State by soldiers purportedly in pursuit of killers of ChevronTexaco workers, two American, and two naval men.
The Ijaw community of Ogbinbiri in Delta State, however, alleged yesterday that about 100 people were missing following Sunday’s invasion by soldiers.
Also, the Ijaw National Congress (INC) said yesterday that for peace to reign in Warri, the Federal and Delta State governments should create a distinct local government each for the Ijaw, Itsekiri and Urhobo in the area.
However, Commander of the Joint Security Task Force, Brigadier-General Elias Zamani, yesterday vowed to flush out sea pirates and other bandits in the riverine, saying attempt to slow down the outfit would fail.
The Iwere (Itsekiri) Development Association in a statement said the people of Orugbo “want to go back home as their wives and children are the ones left in the town,” and appealed to the Military Task Force in Warri to “allow them return home peacefully as they are neither the killers of the oil workers in Benin River or involved in sea piracy."
The group frowned at “the connection between the soldiers search for the killers of ChevronTexaco Oil workers episode and the Itsekiri/Ijaw peace accord. The peace accord is between the Itsekiri and Ijaw wanting peace as a result of the lingering crisis since 1997. The peace accord is supposed to usher in peace and economic well-being of both the Itsekiri and Ijaw.
“On the other hand, the soldiers are doing their work to effect law and order. It is, therefore, ironical to say what Zamani and his soldiers are doing will breach the Itsekiri /Ijaw peace accord. Instead, the work of the soldiers should complement the peace accord.”
100 missing at Ogbinbiri
The Ogbinbiri community in a statement alleged that dozens of corpses littered the area while about 100 were missing following Sunday’s alleged invasion by soldier.
Some of the missing persons were identified as Kaku Akpasibewei (student), Mrs. Victoria Edeku (house wife), John Pabiri, Helen Dawari and Mr. Diewari Aruplani. Among the dead were two children of the same parents: Augustine and Okumagbeni Lombiri, Cecelia Dimadi and Seimokumo Yinkori, a house wife.
The Amaokosuwei of the community, Chief Bresibe Sayami, and four other leaders in a statement, in Benin asked the Federal Government to “as a matter of urgency rescind its decision of brutality, killing, maiming and extinction of Ogbinbiri people and communities as reports on ground have never implicated or incriminated any of its members in the circumstances that culminated in the death of the expatriates.”
The community stated that it was yet to understand the rationale for the indiscriminate killings and destructive military raids adopted by the Joint Military Task Force, tagged Operation Restore Hope, to the overall detriment of Ogbinbiri communities and enjoined both the Federal and State Governments to immediately put a machinery in place to rehabilitate and resettle displaced persons as well as stop further attack on Ijaw communities and people.
“All Ogbinbiri communities that have been razed down for no justifiable reason should be rebuilt and the socio-economic life of the people restored. To forestall further death and hardship, the Federal and State Governments should immediately send relief materials to the affected communities and persons.
How to achieve peace—Mamamu
However, Chairman, Western Zone of the INC, Chief Samson Mamamu, speaking in Warri said the creation of a distinct council each for the Ijaw, Itsekiri amd Urhobo “can be done by bringing all the Ijaw to Warri South-West local government with headquarters at Ogbe–Ijoh while all the Itsekiri will be under Warri North local government and have their headquarters at the Koko. The Urhobo can have their own headquarters at Okumagba Layout if they wish.
“Since it has now become clear that the purported peace accord was a sponsored one, we will suggest a way forward for peace to be regained. It has been a long time that the Ijaw and the Urhobo have been looking for political freedom, after they had been under serious political inconvenience for a long time.
“So, the divine message from the past commissions of enquiry including our present demand is separate local government areas for each of these ethnic groups. And since there is no further constitutional provision for the creation of new local governments as contained in the Ciroma Committee report, we are now compelled to advise both the Federal and State Governments to put heads together to infuse these ethnic groups into already existing three Warri local governments areas.
“That means, bringing all the Ijaw to Warri South-West with headquarters at Ogbe-Ijoh. The carving will include NPA right and left to Bowen Avenue, step down, South Warri with all lands at the right hand side down to Odion road to catch up with Cemetery road.
“For the Itsekiri, they can have Warri North consisting Ugborodo, Ogidigben, Orere and such areas like Ajamimogha, Ugbuwangue, Ugbori, Ekurede Itsekiri up to Warri North. If they desire, they can put their headquarters in Ugbori or Koko. The Urhobo have Agbara, Okere and Okumagba Layout.”
Reminded that some Ijaw settlements are in Warri North, Chief Mamamu said: “The adjustment and separation will be a simple one to do as Ogbe-Ijoh, Saba, Diebiri and Gbaramatu clan were sometimes in Warri North for six years. So, no government should think of any geographical contiguity. We urge government to put this in place immediately for the real peace to come. In fact, the government can put in place another peace and reconciliation committee.
“But this time, the peace and reconciliation committee will be one embracing all the affected traditional rulers, known and respected political chiefs and leaders of thought with more straight forward thinking outside politics to establish solid peace.”
On the arrest and flushing out of criminals which the Joint Task Force embarked upon, Chief Mamamu said: “The purported leaders of peace accord should not arrogate to themselves the achievement of sweeping the criminals from Warri. It was peace-loving Ijaw of Warri that came out of their own free will to assist the Task Force to flush out the bandits in their midst.”
Zamani vows to flush out pirates
Speaking against the backdrop of reports that six villages were razed last weekend and several people killed when his men went for criminals and suspected pirates who have been terrorising Warri and the waterways, Gen. Zamani said the allegations were cooked up by certain people to cover their tracks.
He dismissed speculations in Warri that the Task Force had declared a member of the Egbema United Front wanted, pointing out that “if I had done anything like that, would you not know since it is through the media that we would declare them wanted. It is their conscience that is worrying them. They know that what they are saying is not right.”
The commander then vowed that the security outfit would not relent until it had cleared the riverine and Warri of criminals. “And let me emphasize that the attempt to link the pursuit of criminals and sea bandits who have been making life miserable for people of these areas to the peace process would not work,” Zamani said.
The Public Relations Officer of the Task Force, Major Said Ahmed, had earlier said contrary to reports that several people were killed, the Task Force men only went for cordon and search operation tofish out pirates and other bandits.
