The Kula Supreme Council of Traditional Rulers (KSCTR) in Akuku-Toru local government area of Rivers State, has berated two members of the Akuku-Toru Legislative Assembly, Nelson Who-Knows and Victor Sam, for spreading false news over impending hostilities in Ekulama Flow Stations.
The two councillors in letter to the state government accused the Founder and President of Belemaoil Producing Limited Engr Jack-Rich Tein Jnr., of sponsoring and recruiting thugs to cause hostility against Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) by vandalising its Pipeline as well as shut down Ekulama 1 and 2 Flow Stations, operated by Newcross Exploration and Production Limited.
But, KSCTR, in a statement issued in Port Harcourt yesterday and signed by its Chairman and Secretary, King Kroma Amabibi Eleki and King King Bourdillon Ekine Oko, described the action of Who-Knows and Sam as “shameful, disheartening and unthinkable”.
The traditional rulers wondered by the two councillors would use reputable media organization to dish out malicious, baseless and unsubstantiated allegation against the famous reputation of Tein Jnr., who is a prominent indigene of Kula Kingdom.
The statement reads in part: Our attention has been drawn to a false alarm and fake news via the electronic media credited to two Councillors of the Akuku-Toru Local Government Legislative Assembly representing Ward 15 and 16 one Nelson Who-Knows and Victor Sam.
“The duo accused the Founder and President of Belemaoil Producing Limited Engr Jack-Rich Tein Jnr of sponsoring and recruiting thugs to cause hostility against SPDC by vandalising its Pipeline as well as shut down Ekulama 1&2 Flow Stations operated by Newcross Exploration and Production Limited.
“It is shameful, disheartening and unthinkable for this two renegades to use reputable and credible electronic media platforms to ditch out such malicious, baseless and unsubstantiated allegation against the famous reputation of a shining light Engr Jack-Rich Tein Jnr.
“The misguided actions of ťhese young men portrays them as persons who are morally bankrupt and bereft of proper reasoning, otherwise how can Engr. Jack Rich Tein Jnr., arrange for the vandalisation of SPDC pipeline which also conveys the crude oil of his company to the Bonny Export Terminal for sale.
“We, the Apex Traditional Rulers of the entire Kula Kingdom condemn in its strongest term, the attempt to tarnish the image of our illustrious son in the ongoing smear campaign being orchestrated by the paymasters of Mr. Whoknows Nelson and Mr. Victor Sam aka Flenjo.
“The above named authors and purveyors of the fake news are well known foot soldiers of two brothers from Kula who the main detractors of Engr. Jack-Rich Tein Jnr. “This frivolous announcement is diversionary and intended to deceive and mislead the public and the security agencies who have been duly informed of the clandestine move by SPDC to cause communal crisis by promoting militancy and high level of insecurity in the Host Communities of OML-25.
“We call on the general public to discountenance and disregard the fake news. We equally call on the JTF and the Nigerian Police to investigate the authors of the fake news and their sponsors so as to put a stop to this diabolical actions aimed at causing disaffection in our Kingdom”
