New Telegraph

Alleged Harassment: Igbomotoru communities turn to international community

The people of Igbomotoru 1 and 2 communities in Southern Ijaw Local Government of Bayelsa State have pleaded with the federal, state governments and the international community to come to their aid alleging that armed military personnel have besieged their communities harassing and dehumanizing the community people.

In a press conference by the representatives of the two communities which was held at the weekend  in Yenagoa, his royal highness Simon Godie, who spoke on behalf of the two communities, disclosed that they are begging to be rescued from the hands of these military men.

 

According to hiM: “With deep pains in our hearts and from a state of now complete helplessness, we the leaders and representatives of Igbomotoru communities 1 and 2 in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of Bayelsa State call on the state government, the Federal Government and the international community to urgently intervene and bring under control the ongoing siege and persistent dehumanization in our Igbomtoru communities being perpetrated by armed military personnel and their cohorts believably acting on the directives and instructions of an oil company and  a surveillance company operating in the area.

 

“It is worthy to note that our decision to resort to this medium for help stems from the fact that by a letter dated 6th of July 2022, we had written to the organs of government of the state and Federal Government levels on the same issue but have not got response of the kind that would have made these armed military personnel and their cohorts abate their excesses.

 

“While we do not have any quarrel with military personnel providing security in any parts of Nigeria, our Igbomotoru 1 and 2 communities are not in dispute that they are expected to keep to their standard code  of conduct and maintain international best practices . It cannot be a medium siege mentality to subject our people to dehumanization.

 

“Since these armed military personnel and their cohorts stormed our communities for reasons best known to them, they have acted in the most condemnable manner against our people and destroying properties worth sizable sums of money condemnable.”

 

He continued: “And in any event, soldiers don’t have powers to invade any community. The constitution of Nigeria is very clear. Section 217 to 218 said, soldiers are only deployed to protect the territorial integrity.

 

“What they are doing is to frighten the people and once the people are frightened, they cannot come together to present a common front against the oil company.”

 

When New Telegraph contacted the public relations officer of the oil company on phone, he responded that he doesn’t have any comment.

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