GOVERNOR DIRI OF BAYELSA STATE VISITS IGBOMOTORU COMMUNITIES 17-04-224
By Sadiq Aminu Governor Diri visits Igbomotoru Communities, Charges Military to Investigate Okuama Killings, Prosecute Perpetrators.
Governor Douye Diri of Bayelsa State has urged the military Authorities to painstakingly investigate and unravel those behind the killing of the seventeen soldiers in Okuama community of Delta State.
The Governor who made the call when he visited Igbomotoru one and two communities in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of Bayelsa State urged the military to arrest the perpetrators of the act and make them to face the wrath of the law.
Governor Diri who visited the two communities with a high-powered delegation that included the Commander of the Nigerian Army 16 Brigade, General Oluremi Obolo, to assess the situation in the area, urged the people of Igbomotoru to return home, saying the Nigerian Army has assured the state government of their safety.
Soldiers had been deployed in the communities in search of the suspected masterminds of the March 14 killing of 17 soldiers at Okuama in Delta State.
Addressing the paramount ruler, chiefs, elders and youths of both communities, Senator Diri again condemned the killing of the soldiers and charged the people, particularly the youths, not to allow themselves to be used as agents of criminality and destabilisation.
The Bayelsa governor wondered why the impact of an incident that occurred in Delta should be felt in Igbomotoru.
He warned youths not to forcefully take over leadership of their communities, stressing that the era of militancy was over and it was time for intellectual engagement to move the Ijaw nation forward.
The Governor equally warned traditional rulers and other community leaders to reside in their domains, stressing that any monarch not found in his base stands the risk of being dethroned.
Commending the Nigerian Army for their show of professionalism in handling the incident at Igbomotoru, Governor Diri expressed gratitude to the military for their support and cooperation.
Governor Diri who commended President Bola Tinubu for approving the construction of the Lagos-Calabar coastal road which will run across coast of Ijaw land, announced the provision of relief materials, including cash, one hundred and fifty bags of rice and forty bags of garri to be distributed to the people of both communities.
A minute silence was observed in honour of the slain soldiers and about 20 youths said to have been killed in Igbomotoru 2 community.