Planned Militarisation Of Ugborodo Heightens Fear As Faction Begs Uduaghan To Halt Plans
SAN FRANCISCO, August 26, (THEWILL) - The planned militarisation of Ugborodo community, Warri South West Local Government Area of Delta State, has heightened fear among members of factions reportedly holding sway in the community as the groups are pushing for the suspension of the move, THEWILL has learnt.
Already, a faction in the troubled community reportedly loyal to Hon David Tonwe has reportedly met with Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan, purportedly to appeal to him to prevail on the military Task Force not to deploy troops to the community.
It could be recalled that the two factions in the community headed by Hon David Tonwe and Chief Thomas Ereyitomi, respectively, had in a meeting few weeks ago held on behest of the Commanding Officer, NNS Delta, Navy Captain Musa Gemu, who heads the Federal Government military Task Force constituted to ensure that peace returns to Ugborodo, agreed to the militarisation of the communities while the Task Force carries out the task of resettling the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in their ancestral home.
THEWILL had earlier reported that counsel to the two rival groups battling for the soul of Ugborodo, Chief Efe Akpofure, who represents the Chief Ayeri Emami/Ereyitomi's faction and Mr. Festus Kayemo, who represents Tonwe's faction, had in a meeting at the Naval base in Warri, explained the legal implication of the breach of the earlier peace agreement reached by both parties at the Naval Headquarters, Abuja in May.
Our sources said that since the expiration of the one week ultimatum the military Task Force gave to create awareness in the communities concerning the “deployment” of troops to the communities as well as resettlement of the IDPs, the faction controlled by Tonwe has been entertaining fear that the troops to be “deployed” to the communities to suppress insurrection may turn against the people and jeopardise their source of 'business.
The 'war' against illegal oil bunkering has been intensified in the Niger Delta and some communities in Ugborodo are said to be the strongholds of illegal oil bunkerers, some of which are being used to persecute the Ugborodo crisis.
It was learnt that some members of the illegal bunkering cartel had engaged themselves recently in a 'war' which later snowballed into a major crisis and spread to Warri, where properties worth millions of naira were destroyed in a reprisal attack.
Thus there is fear that militarising the area would not favour some of the locals who are into the illicit trade , THEWILL has learnt, hence the 'push' to suspend the “deployment” of troops to the troubled community.
“The fear is that if the military comes to Ugborodo, a lot of things that is giving the 'boys' money would stop and it means that the military would have their checkpoint in every community in the Itsekiri riverine communities, meaning the military are coming to take way the freedom of the people, ' one of the residents who craved anonymity told THEWILL in a telephone conversation.
Continuing, he said; “Some people are doing illegal bunkering business in Ugborodo and they are part of the fight in the community and they are the one who don't want the military to come, forgetting that depriving the military Task Force is an attempt to disenfranchise one group from the forthcoming general election. Some of the IDPs loyal to Ayeri and others have not done their voter registration exercise and the exercise would soon close so the delay or move to suspend the deployment of troops would only disenfranchise these people from exercising their civic right to vote.
“These persons have gone to meet with Uduaghan to prevail on the Task Force not to deploy troops to the area because of their personnel interest but I learnt that the governor told them he wouldn't agree to that kind of arrangement and that the Task Force has to go there to ensure peace reigns and maintain the existing peace as well as resettle those who were reportedly 'chased away' from their communities.”
The one week ultimatum given to the communities by the military Task Force to sensitise the people on the need for the deployment of troops to the area has since expired last Tuesday, thus giving the impression that there is move to suspend the plan or the Task Force may be bidding its time to move into the area.
It could be recalled that the meeting had agreed that the military Task Force has the right of self-defense when threat arises in the course of their moving the IDPs to the communities even as the two prominent lawyers representing the warring factions had assured the stakeholders that the military Task Force would not intimidate or support any group against the other, adding that they were only heading to the communities to maintain the prevailing peace and ensure that no faction attacks the other.
The Commanding Officer, Gemu, told THEWILL in a telephone conversation on Sunday that the military Task Force was still preparing ground to move into the communities, saying nobody was stopping them from moving in.
According to him, the deployment of troops alongside the IDPs would be carried out as a “surprise and I can't disclose when we are going to move in for security reason but what I can say is that the deployment is for the overall interest of the communities.'