By Isaac Olamikan, Senior Correspondent, Benin
Benin Solidarity Movement(BSM) has condemned a recent media report credited to a new militant group, NDF, attacking the Edo State Government over allegation of shortchanging the Ijaw people in the state in the area of appointment and recognition.
In a statement signed by Comrade Curtis Ugbo(President) and Machiavelli (an ex-militant leader), the BSM said:
“Ordinarily, considering the propensity of the self-styled Ijaw militants to resort to issuing of threats and unwholesome demands at any flimsy excuse we could as well overlook this new threat.
“However, going through the write up by a national daily, we discovered some anomalies that we felt should be immediately addressed so as not to give the self-styled NDF led by the pseudo “Captain Osama Osama” & his criminal gang the leeway to start having a feeling that they own monopoly of violence.
“A demographic enumeration will show that the Ijaws are mostly living in a few communities in two local government areas of Edo State namely Ovia South West and Ovia North East both in the southern district.
“The population of the Ijaws is quite insignificant in comparison to that of some other tribes e.g. the Yorubas, whose population spread across all the 18 local government areas of the state.
“That the self-styled Ijaw militants can be so bold to make such gargantuan demands and follow up with threats to Edo people, our governor and the revered Benin monarch is a joke taken too far.
“From all intent it has become obvious that the self-styled Ijaw militants, who are being supported by a most wanted militant and his gang mainly from neighbouring states, are abusing the hospitable disposition of the Edo people.
“It is unthinkable for any Edo son or daughter in a state like Rivers, despite our tangible population size there, to make any such bravado not to talk of making demands of such magnitude to Governor Nyesom Wike and further threaten him.
“This trend of making demands and threatening our monarch and governor quite exposes the nature of such self-styled Ijaw militants to disrespect the authority of their monarchs and constituted authorities with impunity a trend that they will never succeed in extending to Edo State, the home of African culture of giving respect to all those to whom it is due.
“For starters, we are demanding immediate withdrawal of the offending report by the brains behind it and also respected Ijaw elders and stakeholders to give us the assurance that it does not have their endorsement.
“Also, the Vanguard Media Limited, publishers of the Vanguard newspaper, should call to order the said author of the report, Emma Amaize, whose history of writing unfounded reports to tarnish the image of the people of Edo State and the monarch dates back to the era of Oba Erediauwa.”
