Kelechi Esogwa Amadi
Indigenes of Udoda, a community in Ahaoda West Local Government Area of Rivers State, have accused the Nigerian military of destroying their land and livelihood thereby rendering them homeless and helpless.
At a press briefing held by the Rivers State Civil Society Organisations and We the People, a non-governmental organisation (NGO), on Tuesday in Port Harcourt, the Udoda people revealed that the military invaded their community on May 23, 2019, and indiscriminately bombed and destroyed their houses and property, killing several persons in the process.
Mr Amiofori Frank Ugwuzor, an eye witness, recalled that on 23rd May 2019, which he said was a Saturday, the army came to Udoda Community, killed seven people, injured some and burnt down the community at random.
“It was a tragedy. They burnt down a health centre that was single-handedly built by a member of the community,” he said.
In his own account, the chairman of Engenni Development Support Forum, Okenya Onem, said it was his sister that alerted him of the mayhem perpetrated in their community by the military on that fateful day of March 23, 2019.
He expressed regret that despite writing complaint letters to the appropriate authorities, they had not received any response.
Okenya Onem called on the government to compensate them by building new houses for them and also compensate all the families who lost their members during the onslaught by the military.
Meanwhile, the Rivers State Civil Society Organisations and a non-governmental organization, We the People, have condemned the military’s knack for attacking communities whenever they suspect that artisanal refining is going on near such communities.
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In a statement signed by Ken Henshaw of We the People and Enefaa Georgewill of Rivers State Civil Society Organisations (RIVSCO), the two groups lamented that the military, in 2019 alone, unleashed such attacks on three communities in the Niger Delta.
“In 2019 alone, there were at least 3 such incidents in the Niger Delta. We take particular note of Kalaekulema (Ke) community in Degema LGA (Rivers State) and Azagbene in Ekeremor LGA of Bayelsa State.
“This press conference is specifically to discuss the case of Udoda community in Ahaoda West local government area. On the 23rd of May 2019, the military invaded the community with gunboats and helicopters, randomly bombing the community. In all, about 23 houses were set ablaze and totally destroyed with all properties in it worth millions of naira. Several persons were also killed in the incident. We the People and RIVSCO sent 2 teams to have a first-hand assessment of the level of damage done in the community, capturing audio and pictorial evidence of the actions of the military.
“We, in partnership with the affected community, went ahead to write a petition to the National Human Rights Commission demanding an investigation and immediate remedial action. Several months after our petition, it is important to note that no remedial action has been carried out,” the statement noted.
RIVSCO and We the People stated that they had produced a documentary video that captured the level of damage done in the community, the losses and pains of the people and their quest for justice, with the hope that the documentary would galvanize actions towards remedying the situation, all to no avail.
The groups promised to do more petitions to the National Human Rights Commission and Army headquarters with details of the incident as well as videos and pictorial evidence.
The statement added: “Let us remind you that we have Nigerians in our midst who everything has been taken away from. They have lost all their worldly possessions and been left destitute. Let us remind you that people have died in the course of this event. Our society deserves an explanation. The people demand accountability for these events.”
An effort to get the reaction of the army has not yielded any fruit so far.
