OVER fifty suspected armed militants in three speed boats stormed Oyangbene community of Burutu Local Government in Delta State in the early hours of yesterday, 14 May shooting sporadically and causing pandemonium, as residents fled their homes for safety yesterday.
The attackers in commando style left the community after about three hours later leaving a message saying“we will come back to wipe out Agip Oil company and the leadership of this community should our people handling the oil matters be dropped from office”.
This was confirmed to Vanguard in Warri by Mr. Monday Bamugha, Community Chairman from his hiding place. He called on the Delta State Government, security agencies and the Federal Government to come to their aid in to avert total elimination of the community as threatened by the suspected militants.
Mr. Bamugha in a shaky voice narrated that “at about 12.30 am this morning, about fifty boys, I think are militants came in three speed boats, we started hearing gun shots and we took to our heels, we escaped for our dear lives, they burnt some houses and destroyed others, after about three hours they left”
“A woman who stays near the waterside told me later that the boys threatened that they will come back again to wipe out the community and the leaders if the people handling the community oil with Agip are dropped”, he added.
Asked whether there is a running battle in the community, Bamugha said “there is no trouble until now, Agip are coming to our community to work, some people have had contracts of clearing and other form of jobs but now we want others who have not been given contract to be considered but the first group said no”.
The community Chairman appealed to the Governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan to immediately wade into the matter with a view to investigating the threat as people are no longer safe there anymore, he also call on the Joint Task Force, JTF, to immediately come to their rescue as they cannot continue hiding.
Meanwhile, Mallam Yusuf Eregbene, National Coordinator, Coastal People’s Forum has called on any aggrieved persons in Oyangbene to sheath their sword and tow the part of dialogue instead of carrying out action capable of bringing the military back to Ijaw land and also not to rubbish the peace effort of Governor Uduaghan.
He advised the educated elites in the community against using their education to oppress their own people and warned youths not to yield themselves a ready tool in the hands of trouble makers.
http://www.vanguardngr.com/2010/05/15/over-50-militants-go-on-shooting-spree/
