The Niger Delta Peoples Movements, NDPM, has urged the Nigeria Army not to allow a repeat of the Odi Community genocide in any part of the oil rich Niger Delta in recent time. NDPM spoke following the military operations in Okuama Community in Delta State and Igbomotoru Community in Bayelsa State. The body also condemned in totality the gruesome killing of ranking army officers and soldiers in the Okuama community of Delta State penultimate Thursday. NDPM in a statement in Port Harcourt, yesterday, by Ejiro Ineneji , Convener and Iyamu Okunzuwa, President, described the killing as senseless, provocative and disrespectful to the Nigerian State; expectedly, the Nigerian Army. The statement said: “As a responsible Organisation, we call on Niger Deltans and Nigeria as a whole to respect the integrity of our military and to honour these men who put their lives on the line to keep our country safe and habitable.
“The member body of the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organisation (UNPO), calls on the Federal Government to carry out a thorough investigation into the matter without prejudice and killing of innocent lives as a result of this aggravated killing of a Commanding officer, two Majors, a Captain and twelve others.” The statement, however, urged the Nigeria army not to allow a repeat of what happened in Odi, Bayelsa State, condemning the invasion of the Bayelsa community by armed military. They body noted that the military action has left the people stranded, regretting that many innocent people have been killed in the military action. It read “they urged the military not to cast caution to the wind and repeat a tragic history of Odi community massacre as that will amount to genocide. The movement also condemns the reprisal attack on defenceless Igbomotoru Community by the Nigerian military as alleged, on the excuse of hunting a character linked to the killing of the military in the Delta State community Okuama.
“The Niger Delta Peoples Movement decries the killing of innocent lives in the Igbomotoru community; this act to us is unprofessional and the intimidating of harmless indigenes is shameful. We hereby call on international bodies to intervene as over fifty lives, according to Intels, have been allegedly lost in the community and food supplies shutdown. This has become a humanitarian emergency; and, that the Igbomotoru community in bayelsa State does not have any affiliations whatsoever with the said Okuama community in Delta State. We therefore appeal to the Federal government of Nigeria to evaluate the actions by the military and provide succour to the innocent lives that are now refugees due to present realities and circumstances.”
