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 Daily Independent Online.
* Friday,July 16, 2004.
Presidency
ordered raid of Ijaw communities, says Delta
By Tunke-Aye
Bisina
Reporter, Asaba
Order
to invade Ijaw communities in Delta State by the military came from the
highest echelons in Aso Rock, it emerged on Thursday. Clan leaders have
claimed that at least six communities were razed in the process, with
hundreds of women and children feared missing.
Delta Sate
Commissioner for Ethnic Relations Ovouzorie Macaulay confirmed the source
of the order in Asaba. He, however, denied that 15 persons died during
the operation.
Macauley has
been at the centre of efforts to broker lasting peace among warring
factions in the Warri crisis. Curiously, he promised to resign if it is
established that military men killed people during the invasion, which he
said was ordered by the Presidency to fish out persons with arms.
“Let me tell
you”, he stressed, “the cordon and search by the military men is directed
from the Presidency to fish out the people hiding arms and not to hurt
innocent citizens.
"I am in
touch with General Zamani (commander of the task force)and he said
villages were not burnt down. We (the government) need to strengthen this
position because the next thing is that it will be said that it was the
Itsekiri who killed them or sponsored it”.
But contrary to
Macaulay’s assertion, leaders of Egbema clan had stated that no fewer
than six communities -
comprising Ogbudugbudu, Ayoungbene, Azama zion, Idebagbene,
Odibogbene,Asantuagbene, Opia, among others - were torched by the
invading soldiers; with over 200 persons, mostly women and children who
ran into the bush in the wake of the attack, missing.
The Egbema
United Front, speaking through Goddy Soroaghaye and Sunny Jero, also
comfirmed the destruction of the communities.
Stressing his
point, Macaulay addressed newsmen after the state's executive meeting in
Asaba and insisted that "not one person was killed and I challenge
the authors to produce the corpses. I will put my job on the line if they
can produce any corpse. I will resign if proved wrong".
Macaulay,
pioneer Chairman of the Delta State council of Nigeria Union of
Journalists (NUJ), advised journalists to be sure of their facts before
publication, especially on
sensitive matters like the Warri conflict.
Despite the
denial, however, investigation showed that the military men razed a
number of villages and blocked the only route by which the Egbema people
have access to food supply from Benin. The people now live in hunger.
“Three
out of 14 pulled out under duress. Out of the five clans that are
involved only one pulled out, so you cannot say the accord has collapsed,
rather it is still more than majority. The accord is very much
intact", he said.
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