Fresh tension is brewing in the Niger Delta region, as hundreds of Ijaw youths on Wednesday vowed to resist further ‘harrassment and victimization’ of former President Goodluck Jonathan, his wife Patience and some ex-militants recently arrested by security agents.
The youths in an enlarged protest held in Warri, Delta state threatened to block security agency from hounding Ijaw people wherever such information gets to them.
The youths drawn from the Ijaw Youth Council, IYC, Western Zone, who marched the streets of Warri, commercial nerve center of Delta state, chanting anti-Buhari slogans, vowed that henceforth every unjust arrest, intimidation would be vehemently resisted.
The protesters converged at the Ogbe-Ijoh market from where they marched down to NPA, causing heavy vehicular traffic at the wee hours of the day.
Many motorists have to detour from Warri/Sapale road to other route for the period the protest lasted.
Led by the Chairman of IYC Western Zone, Comrade Freedom .E. Atigbi, the protesters specifically expressed concern over the continuous harrassment of former President Goodluck Jonathan and his immediate family.
Some of the placards bored by the protesters read; ‘”Enough is Enough, FG, DSS”, FG Face Your Economy Problems Alone”, EFCC, Security Stop Harrassment and Intimidation of Ijaw, continuation of persecution of Because of Our Oil”, Buhari Leave Us Alone”, Its Not Only Ijaws Are In This Country”, among others.
The protesters said Buhari was using the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC and Department of State Security, DSS as his attack bulldogs to hound former President Jonathan and his wife, Patience, whereas other past presidents are left out in the corruption fight.
The protesters said currently the development is causing tension in oil rich Niger Delta region as youths, and ex-militants are being force to return to the creeks.
Atigbi who addressed the protesters said; “We are protesting today because President Buhari have single out Ijaw people for harassment. This arrest, harassment, and intimidation are becoming too many and it calls for questions.
“They have arrested so many ex-militants, and activist here in Warri and other places for no just cause without charging them to court. We are not against his anti-corruptIon war but it must not be selective.
“Few days ago they broken into the former president home, ransacked everywhere, whereas other past leaders in this country still enjoy patronage without harassment.
“The family of Abacha that looted this country to ground level still get federal government protection and contracts, nobody is persecuting them.
“We are using this medium to warn that if Buhari continue to harrass, arrest our people, we would resist the security agents and also defend our people.
“If Buhari cannot accord Jonathan his due respect, we would be force to defend him and others. We are ready to defend our people being persecuted unjustly, from now on, any indiscriminate arrest, harassment and detention will be met with strong resistance”, the protesters said.
In a related development, Spokesman of the Ijaw Youth Council, Eric Omare has called on Niger Delta leaders to intervene to stop the indiscriminate arrest of Niger Delta youth activists and ex-agitators by the federal government.
Omare made this call when he lead Ijaw youths to the Warri residence of Ijaw leader Alaowei Broderick Bozimo on Tuesday to draw his attention and other Ijaw leaders to the potential danger involved in the indiscriminate arrest been carried out by the military in the Niger Delta.
According to Omare alot of Niger delta youths are been forcefully pushed to the creeks by the actions of the federal government and the youths may be forced to take laws into their hands if the situation is not urgently addressed.
It would be recalled that ex-agitator, Bounanawei Goddey Smith and five other youths were arrested while hosting Ijaw Youth Council members in his residence in Warri on Saturday, and they have since been taken to Abuja where they are currently detained.
Several other Niger Delta youths including Ezekiel Daniel, Aboy Muturu, Alex Odogu and others have been in detention for months without trial.
In his response, Alaowei Bozimo promised that the Ijaw leaders and PANDEF would meet and intervene to stop the indiscriminate arrests and effect the release of those in detention while calling on Niger Delta youths to maintain the current peace.
