WARRI- National President of the Ijaw youths council (IYC) world-wide Mr. Oweilaemi Pereotubo has admonished the federal Government never to use Gbaramayu kingdom in Warri South West as a battlefield, following the recent threat by militants to destroy oil facilities in Niger Delta.
Oweilaemi dropped the hint in an electronic message sent to Daily Watch in Warri, said ‘‘The threat to resume hostilities by NDA should not be linked to a particular community or Kingdom in the Niger Delta. The Avengers we don’t think, is a community based organisation. The Ijaws are not comfortable with the steps the military is trying to take.
‘‘We don’t know why the military flew helicopter gunships around Oporoza town in Gbaramatu Kingdom today. Did the Avengers said they are in Gbaramatu Kingdom? The act of using a general problem in the Niger Delta to terrorise innocent people in one community or Kingdom should stop now. The Ijaw nation will not fold its hands and allow the Nigerian government to be invading and burning down our communities in the guise of fighting militants while innocent souls lost their precious lives.
‘‘Tompolo’s name and antecedents is not connected to the Avengers as far as we are concerned if he was the reason why the military decided to invade the innocent Kingdom. He has publicly denied being a member of the group. The NDA has also absolved him of complicity. Why then the Government is dragging Tompolo into the present crisis?’’
According to him, those self-seeking individuals who want to drag Tompolo’s name in the mud should be wary of their actions. Adding, bringing his name to the crisis of confidence that has being rocking PANDEF and other factional bodies in the region should not involve the innocent man. He noted that Tompolo has already had enough persecution in the hands of the ruling Government.
‘‘ Niger Delta people should not add to his woes will only aggravate the situation. Let the FG use this threat to wake itself from its slumber. Only Buhari’s peaceful response to the demands of the people will avert the threatened attacks on oil facilities by the militants’’
