Asaba: To curb the worsening security situation of the Ogbe Ijoh/Aladja communal crisis, Governor Ifeanyi Okowa has warned that government would no longer tolerate any further outbreak of crisis among communities in the area.
Speaking yesterday during an extended Security Council meeting in Asaba which included traditional rulers and youths from Urhobo and Ijaw communities, Governor Okowa said that government was losing its patience with the perpetrators of the crisis and would not allow the crisis degenerate into an inter-tribal war.
The meeting came on the heels of the deteriorating security situation and the alleged beheading of people by suspected youths in the communities.
Reading the riot act to the warring communities, Governor Okowa said he would not hesitate to deal decisively with leaders of both communities in the outbreak of another crisis, urging them not to take the state government for granted.
He explained that government had made frantic efforts to broker peace between the two communities, which had not yielded any positive results, and directed security agencies to arrest the president-generals, women and youth leaders of the communities, if any further crisis erupts.
“We have been doing a lot to stop the crisis, but it appears these our brothers are not ready for peace and are ready to drag us into an ethnic war, which will not help anybody. We cannot close our eyes to the inherent danger in their actions,” the governor said, adding “I have directed the security agencies that the president-generals, youth and women leaders of the communities should continue to report weekly to the Naval Base and they should be held responsible if there is further escalation of the crisis,” Senator Okowa said.
The governor appealed to the traditional rulers, especially those of Aladja and Ogbe-Ijaw communities, to cooperate with government and security agencies in enthroning lasting peace, adding that appropriate actions might be taken against them if the crisis continued to escalate.
“I have not got enough cooperation from the traditional rulers of Ogbe-Ijoh and Aladja communities and we have a lot of respect for your (traditional ruler’s) office, but I wish to caution that that respect would be withdrawn if we have further crisis, and I will not hesitate to take appropriate actions against the two traditional rulers if we hear any further crisis. We cannot continue to act in this manner; it is time to maintain law and order in the area,” Governor Okowa said.
Governor Okowa described as worrisome, security reports which indicated that the crisis was degenerating into a full-scale war between the Urhobo and Ijaw ethnic nationalities, and appealed to traditional rulers in the state to complement government’s efforts at ensuring the restoration of peace as “it is difficult to maintain peace without the royal fathers.”
Meanwhile, Governor Ifeanyi Okowa has assured security agencies of government’s support in tackling criminality and pipeline vandalism.
The governor, who spoke yesterday when he received on courtesy visit, Rear Admiral Opoche Suleiman, Commander, Joint Task Force (JTF) Operation Delta Safe and his team in Asaba, said that crude oil theft and pipeline vandalism affect the economy and environment of the surrounding communities and the federal and state governments negatively.
“Since the inception of your Operation Safe, a lot of work has been done, in Delta State; we have worked with your sector commander and other security agencies to keep the peace and make the state safe. I want to assure you of the state government’s support to carry out your activities in the Niger Delta region,” he said.
The governor stressed that the partnership and synergy among security agencies in the state had started to yield the desired result in the maintenance of peace and security.
“We need to check crude oil theft and vandalism as the activities of vandals first impact negatively on the environment, economy and health of the surrounding communities; they also impact negatively on the resources of the federal and state governments and power generation in the country. This, in turn, sets up a chain of events that impact on our industries and, of course, youth employment,” the governor added.
While calling for constant consultation between the government and the Operation Delta Safe Outfit, Senator Okowa called for the harnessing of the potentials of the civilian population in the Niger Delta region in information- gathering.
Earlier, Rear Admiral Suleiman said that they were in Asaba to consult with Governor Okowa and seek for support for the achievement of the mandate of the Operation Delta Safe Outfit.
He stated that “in achieving peace, the Operation Delta Safe requires political support in the protection of oil and gas infrastructure and prevent other criminality in the region”.
