A Niger Delta group, the Ijaw People’s
Development Initiative, IPDI, on Thursday warned the Nigerian military
to stay away from Gbaramatu Kingdom, Tompolo’s town, insisting that the
continuous presence of security operatives has crumbled economic
activities in the area.
National President of the group, Austin
Ozobo, told THISDAY that the military had continued to harass innocent
people of the kingdom by ‘’arresting and evading the privacy of whole
communities in the night, making lives unbearable and unpleasant for the
inhabitants’’.
Ozobo spoke just as it was learnt that
the five persons arrested in connection with the destruction of oil
platforms in the region were released late Wednesday.
It was gathered that Chevron management
which contracted the surveillance job to the community youths was able
to prove that the boys were actually contract members of staff.
However, they were asked to report to the security agencies next week to perfect the papers concerning their freedom.
Members of the community had on
Wednesday issued a 72-hour ultimatum to the military to ensure that the
five persons namely: Samuel Emiko, Alfred Timedi, Isaac Edinde, Henry
Arogboritse and Kelvin Mordi were released before the expiration of the
ultimatum.
But notwithstanding the latest
development, Ozobo maintained that the rights of people in Gbaramatu
have been severely abused and that the people could longer go about
their normal fishing activities for fear of unlawful arrest.
He argued that continuously harassing
the people could draw their sympathy for the Niger Delta Avengers, NDA,
the militant group which has claimed responsibility for blowing up oil
and gas facilities in the region.
He described the military action as a
declaration of war against innocent people and communities in the area,
noting that the affected people do not see it as a war against pipeline
vandals.
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