FCT: Three Injured as Violence Mars Meeting of Oil Bearing Communities

Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja

A meeting of members of the oil producing community from Delta State at the Sandralia Hotel in Jabi, Abuja, erupted in violence leading to bloody confrontation that left many injured and hospitalised. The fracas also led to an urgent call for the relocation of subsequent meetings to Warri.
The incident left no fewer than three people with varying degrees of injury.
One of the critically injured persons was rushed to an undisclosed hospital for medical attention.
Calm, however, returned to the premises only after a concerted intervention by security operatives from the Utako Police Division and the hotel management.
President-General of the Niger Delta Ethnic Nationalities Youth Leaders, Victor Udoh, addressed the press afterwards.
“This impromptu press address is necessary to shed light on the unfortunate events that unfolded over the last three hours.
“Our attention was drawn to the fracas within the aforementioned hotel, where members of the oil-producing community from Delta State were gathered to hold a meeting.
“During this meeting, there were significant disagreements; some groups were excluded from the invitation, leading to conflict and even bloody injury”, he said.
Udoh, who led the platform advocating for the Niger Delta’s interests, expressed dismay over the exclusion of some groups from the meeting, which escalated into conflict.
Udoh asserted that the choice of Abuja for the meeting resulted in “unnecessary embarrassment” for the Niger Delta and stressed the importance of inclusivity.
“We urge the Delta State structure of the oil-producing community to hold all future meetings in Warri, a significant city in the Niger Delta,” he stated, adding that Warri, known as the oil city, was a more fitting location for oil-related discussions.
Furthermore, the Niger Delta Ethnic Nationalities Youth Leaders called on federal agencies, including the Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) and the National Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), to refrain from mobilising community members to Abuja, citing “stress and uncertainties” involved in such travel.
Udoh also highlighted the need to involve the region’s youth in every engagement to ensure peace and tranquility.
“Our appeal is to ensure that future meetings are held in Warri, where the community has confidence in the leadership and the process,” he said
He explained that the incident was initially suspected to be politically motivated but was later found to be related to the meeting’s location.
The Ologbotsere (prime minister) of the Warri Kingdom,
Chief Ayiri Emami, and an eyewitness to the altercation said “the bone of contention is that some communities wanted to increase the number of delegates to the meeting through backdoor means and were strongly resisted.”
Emami emphasised the need for fair and equal representation to maintain peace.