Foremost Ijaw youth organization, the Ijaw Youth Council, IYC, Worldwide, has accused President Muhammadu Buhari of allegedly attempting to commit genocide against the Ijaw people and communities of the Niger Delta region.
This came as the group raised the alarm over purported massive military and genocidal attacks against the Ijaw people and communities of the Niger Delta region of Nigeria since Saturday last week to the early hours of today, (Tuesday), the 31st of May, 2016.
According to the IYC, there have been massive military attacks against innocent Ijaw communities and peoples from Gbaramatu to Ogbe-Ijoh Kingdoms in Delta State to Southern Ijaw, Nembe, Brass and some other Local Government Areas of Bayelsa State.
The IYC spokesman, Eric Omare, said that in one of the offensive against the Ijaw people, the Nigeria Navy in Warri allegedly shot a couple simply identified as (Mr and Mrs Tiemo) who had recently ran to Naifor Island, near Warri to escape the military onslaught in Gbaramatu communities.
Miffed by the offensive, the angry villagers were said to have dumped the couple who were critically wounded at the naval base in Warri and left them for naval personnel to do whatever they want with them.
Recounting the ordeal of the people, IYC stated that in Gbaramatu, Delta State, residents particularly women and children are in serious danger of mass death if they are not rescued from the rampaging military officers.
“Most people that ran into the bush in Oporoza, Kurutie, Kunukunuma, Kokodiagbene and some other villagers and communities in Gbaramatu Kingdom in Warri South West Local Government Area of Delta State are yet to be seen.
“This is in addition to the famish condition arising from the no in and out movement order placed in Gbaramatu Kingdom by the military.
“A lot of parents in Gbaramatu do not know the whereabouts of their children and vice versa.
“In parts of Ogbe-Ijoh, especially the Naifor Island (Opposite Warri), the Navy throughout the night of May 30th to May 31st, shot sporadically into the communities and in the process, a couple (Mr and Mrs Tiemo) were critically wounded. Ironically this couple only recently ran to Naifor Island to escape the military onslaught.
“The villagers in desperation took the critically injured couple to the Navy base where they left them for the Navy to do whatever they want to do with the couple. The state of this couple from Ayakoromo Community in Burutu Local Government Area of Delta State is still unknown at the time of issuing this statement.”
Noting that Naifor Island, Ogbe-Ijoh is just opposite the Navy barracks; the IYC said it does not see any justification why the Navy would be practicing their shooting skills with the lives of the innocent Ijaw villagers.
It however recalled a similar incident a few months ago at the start of the renewed hostilities in the Niger Delta region in the same community, pointing out that there is no oil facility in Naifor Island, Ogbe-Ijoh and none is close to the community.
“Therefore, there is no singular justification why the Navy has decided to use that particular community as its main target to justify the huge sum of money allocated to them to find the Avengers.
“Why has the Navy refused to trace the Avengers to where they are destroying oil facilities instead of killing innocent people and putting the entire community under fear.
The group said that the locals are now relocating from their ancestral home in drove for fear of attack, adding that the story is the same in most parts of Bayelsa State where war boats and fighter jets have been deployed to different communities and the people are now living in fear, the statement said.
Continuing, it said; “The IYC is not against the military going after the Avengers, but we state for the umpteenth time that the innocent Ijaw people and communities should not be made to pay for sins they know nothing about.
“These innocent villagers bear the brunt of the decades of oil exploitation and degradation and when there is military action against people who have tampered with oil facilities they are the victims as well.
“This is unacceptable and we condemn this unprofessional military operation and massive attack against Ijaw people.
“The IYC make bold to state that President Buhari’s led administration has a plan to commit genocide against Ijaw people.
“There is no basis for the massive onslaught against the innocent Ijaw people and communities. It has never happened anywhere in the world for innocent people to be held responsible for crimes they know nothing about.
IYC therefore called on Nigerians, the United Nations and the entire world to take note of the alleged ongoing killing of innocent Ijaw people and violations of human rights against the Ijaw people of the Niger Delta region.
