Okuama Killings: We Can’t Go Back to Militancy Era, Diri Declares
Visits Igbomotoro community, says killers must be unveiled, brought to book
Bayelsa State Governor, Douye Diri, has again reiterated his earlier call to the military authorities to continue with painstaking investigation to unveil the killers and sponsors of the unfortunate incident that led to the killing of 17 military personnel at Okuama community in Delta State.
The governor, who added that all those involved must be brought to book to face the full wrath of the law, warned that the Niger Delta could not afford to go back to the era of armed Militancy.
Diri, who Tuesday, visited Igbomotoro Community in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of the state, in the aftermath of the military invasion of the community in search of suspected killers of the military personnel called on the people of the community to return home.
Addressing the leadership and cross-section of the community at Igbomotoro Town Hall, Diri condemned the brutal killing of the soldiers, regretting that it was unfortunate that what happened in Delta was being felt by the people of the community.
Accompanied by the Commanding Officer 16 Brigade of the Nigeria Army, Yenagoa, Brigadier General Oluremi Obolo; Secretary to the State Government, Prof Nibofa Ayawei; Ambassador Boladei Igali and other government officials, Diri said what was now obtainable was intellectual engagement.
Diri commended the military high command for ensuring that what happened in Odi in 1999 did not happen in Igbomotoro Community.
His words: "I have come to meet with you the Igbomotoro Community that enough is enough. In every season, there is a time for everything. The era of militancy is over and this is the era of intellectual engagement. This is what your government is set to do and your government has been doing.
"Ijaw people are very intelligent people, we can compete with anybody anywhere in the world, and we should not be seen as cannon folders and this is a warning to all of those who are still cannon folders to have a rethink.
"Your government is establishing schools particularly school with skills acquisition, science and technical colleges even in empowering programmes and we want our youths to key into it and drop your guns.
"Youths cannot take over leadership of the community by force. That is what we have started seeing in our communities and this again will be a warning to all of our traditional rulers, they must stay at home to lead the people and any traditional ruler that is not found in his base. I will promptly remove that traditional ruler.
"And my advice to the military is that they must painstakingly investigate the killings in Okuama to ascertain those that are culpable so that innocent people will not be sacrifice.
“The truth is what Ijaw people want and those behind the killings in Okuama should be properly investigated and unveil to the Nigerian public. They should face the wrath of the law. That is my humble appeal to the Nigeria military and all the security agencies.”