Okuama Killings: IYC Demands End to Harassment of Ijaw People, Military Invasion of Communities

•Again journalists barred, community snubs military panel

Olusegun Samuel in Yenagoa and Sylvester Idowu in Warri

The umbrella body of Ijaw youths worldwide, the  Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) has demanded an end to the alleged incessant invasion of Ijaw communities in the Niger Delta region and the arrest of their kinsmen since the killing of 17 military personnel in Okuama, Delta State.

The council said its attention had been drawn to the incessant invasion, harassment and arrest of Ijaw sons in Nigeria, particularly on  April 8, 2024 at 3:30am in Osokun, Degema Local Government Area of Rivers State, where a an Ijaw leader, Chief Sobomabo Jackrich, popularly known as Egberipapa was arrested, while two of his men were killed.

A statement signed by the IYC spokesman, Binebia Princewill, warned that a point must be made known that the Ijaw people are not second class citizens in this country.

The statement added that the Ijaw people had sacrificed a lot towards the growth and development of the country and will not tolerate that the Nigerian state treat them as a conquered people.

“In the last few months, Ijaw lands and her prominent leaders have been invaded, harassed, arrested and embarrassed for whatever strange reasons by the military that the Ijaw people are yet to know.

“The IYC worldwide was inundated with distress calls from Ijaw youths all over the world yesterday on how military men with vans and Armoured Personnel Carrier stormed the Osokun Resident of Amb. Sobomabo Jackrich in Degema Local Government Area of Rivers State wherein two persons were killed and Jackrich was arrested and taken to an unknown destination.

“Nigeria is not a banana republic, Nigeria is a country governed by law, whatever we do must be within the ambit of the law. Those meant to protect the law must not be seen breaking the law.

“Too many Ijaw leaders and critical stakeholders have been killed, harassed and humiliated in the past few weeks that we are yet to know the reasons behind such attacks and invasions.

“In a similar fashion, One Chief Tike Weris, former Chairman of Bayelsa Waterways Security was brazenly arrested by the military at the Port Harcourt International Airport and up till now,  there is no single information about his whereabouts and safety. In fact rumours have it that he has been killed in custody. We hope that this rumour is not true.

“While the Ijaw Youth Council will continue to champion peace movements in Nigeria and Niger Delta, we will not forget to draw our attention to certain events similar to the Okuama attack on the military in the North and the perceived response from the military. While we are not against fighting crime in Nigeria, we want this to be done within the ambit of the law,” the group stated.

It argued that the Nigerian military cannot only be powerful in the South and Niger Delta and cannot be seen displaying such might in the North, that far stronger crimes are committed by insurgents and other criminal elements.

“The IYC is demanding to know the whereabouts of Sobomabo Jackrich who is a former Rivers state governorship candidate in the last governorship election in Rivers state and a critical stakeholder and leader in Ijaw nation,” it added.

The IYC said it feared that the Ijaw people will not be surprised to wake up one day that the military has invaded former President Goodluck Jonathan’s House.

It said the attack on Ijaw leaders is becoming worrisome in the Nigerian State, demanding to know the whereabouts and offence of Jackrich.

Meanwhile, journalists that turned up for the coverage of the Board of Inquiry constituted by the Defence Headquarters to probe the March 14 killing of 17 soldiers at Okuama in Delta State were yesterday barred by a top state government official.

The military panel, led by Air Vice Marshal David Ajayi arrived Warri last week Friday on a fact-finding mission on the killings of four officers and 13 soldiers at Forcados river by Okuama community in Ughelli South Local Government area of the state.

He had said while addressing the Delta State Governor, Sheriff Oborevwori, who received the team at Government House Annex, Warri that the military panel was in the state on a fact-finding mission and not to apportion blame.

 “We are here to gather facts from security agencies, community leaders, and community dwellers,” he said.

But at the scheduled meeting with stakeholders on the incident in Warri, journalists that stormed the venue to monitor the event were bared by the Delta State Director General, Political and Security Services, David Tonwe.

He told the newsmen, who had waited for about six hours for the coverage of the event, that they were not allowed to access the conference room, venue of the meeting.

Though journalists turned up for the exercise as early as 10 am, but the meeting did not commence until 4.17 pm when the delegation from Okoloba Community in Bomadi local government was ushered in for the sitting.

The panel members, it was gathered, were engaged in a marathon meeting from 9 am until 3 pm when they had a break for lunch before ushering the delegates from Okoloba community.

While the Okoloba people fulfilled their promise of attending the sittings, THISDAY observed that their counterpart from Okuama, an Urhobo Community in Ughelli South, where the soldiers was allegedly killed, refused to appear before the panel.

Okoloba community has been having prolonged land dispute with Okuama community which prompted the military’s peaceful mission to Okuama community where they met their untimely death.

As at the time of filing this report last night, the panel was still meeting with the delegation from Okoloba community. The panel would resume sitting in Bayelsa State on the issue on Friday.