Last week, armed youths blew up the facilities in the Warri South Local Government Area of Delta State to protest the issuing of an arrest warrant for Niger delta militant leader Government Ekpemupolo, popularly known as Tompolo. In response, the military has begun searching for the perpetuators and several arrests have been made already.
In response to the crisis, the Bayelsa Elders Council (Bec) met yesterday and told President Buhari to clamp down on vandals on destroying major oil and gas pipelines in the Niger Delta region. They said Buhari should direct the security agencies to fish out the perpetrators and bring them to justice under the rule of law.
At a crucial meeting in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital, the elders, however, appealed to President Buhari to prevent security operatives from destroying innocent communities under the guise of fishing out pipeline vandals. They also called on the perpetrators to desist from further attacks on pipelines to avoid further damaging the economy of the state and the country in view of continuous fall of crude oil price.
Some of the Ijaw elders present at the meeting were King Joshua Igbagara, the Ibenanaowei of the Oyiakiri clan; King Jonathan Kubor, the Ibenanaowei of the Bassan clan and King Richard Seibarugu, the Ibedaowei of Okordia Kingdom. Also present at the meeting were Chief A M Aduba, Reverend (Mrs) Jane Alek, Amba Ambaowei, Dr Hellen Opigo, Austin Lugbenwei and Chief Dennis Daunemugha.
Their communiqué was signed by Bec chairman, Chief Francis Doukpola and its publicity secretary, Chief Thompson Okorotie. In it, the elders also asked the federal government to exercise caution while making statements on the matter and to consult widely before making decisions on issues affecting the amnesty programme.
They urged the federal government to apply the carrot and stick approach by negotiating with the host communities to bring about sustainable solutions to the problem. So far, the government is yet to respond to their communique.
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