Dissociate themselves from criminality
By Kelechi Esogwa-Amadi
A group known as Ekpeye Freedom Fighters (EFF) has condemned the alleged killings, oppression, exploitation and other forms of injustice which it says are being perpetrated against Odiemudie community in Ahoada East local government area of Rivers State.
Leader of the group, General 2Baba, in a statement made available to the media recently, also dissociated himself and the group himself from violence and any form of criminality in the area.
While blaming oil companies and their security operatives as well as other external factors for the violence in the community, General 2Baba explained that as a beneficiary of the amnesty granted by Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, in 2016, he and his group had ensured peace and harmony in the land and are not involved in any act of criminality.
He said it became necessary to set the record straight following the alleged military invasion of his community on Wednesday, 8th February, 2023 which he claimed resulted in the killing of an innocent young man who was on a visit to his community.
General 2Baba recalled how such invasion last year left Odiemudie community with tales of woes and agonies. According to him, a 76-yr old devout Christian – Mr. James Okpara Sam Amadi – was killed by a Helicopter gun fire while Mr. Nwachukwu Stanley was shot on his thigh, rendering him perpetually deformed; all in the guise of looking for criminal elements.
He reiterated that he is not a criminal, and cautioned those bent on smearing his image to desist and be mindful of what they do in order to take undue advantage, warning that they may be exposed if they do not retrace their steps.
General 2Baba called on Oil Multinationals in the area, such as Total Energies, SPDC, NAOC, etc, to get the youths involved in their activities so as to minimize the level of youth restiveness which appear to be the major cause of crises in the area.
Detailing how he is personally affected by the anti-people’s policy of Oil Multinationals in the area, Gen. 2baba said Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) of Nigeria entered his community (Odiemudie) and particularly, his family land in 1982 to drill oil but later decided to recognize the people of Elele-Alimini as Landlords on a portion of land that ancestrally belongs to his community, simply because of proximity and ease of access to the land area from the Alimini end.
According to him, apart from the consultation the company made in 1982 with his family before entering the land, there is no record anywhere to show that SPDC has accorded any form of benefit either to his family or to the community.
According to him, the only thing the community gets is the after-effect of Oil exploitation which among others, include damage to the environment, unprecedented corrosion to building roofs, pollution of water sources in the area, health hazards and various forms of diseases such as eye problems, breathing problem, benzene consumption-related diseases, etc.
Gen. 2baba noted that efforts had been made to reach out to SPDC but to no avail, recalling also how the community, Odiemudie, has been litigating in court with SPDC for years now, but that the company was hell-bent on taking sides against the community.
2baba called on the Rivers State Government, the Minister of State for Petroleum and all other relevant authorities to prevail on SPDC to do the right thing for the purpose of peace and stop acting like the Demi God they are making the people of Odiemudie Community to see them.
Speaking further about Total Energies and Nigeria Agip Oil Company (NAOC), Gen. 2baba said his community – Odiemudie – is an impacted community to Total Energies and NAOC, but that there has been total neglect of his people and the entire Igbu-Akoh Kingdom by these companies, and called for intervention by the authorities.
The EFF Leader called on SPDC, Total Energies and NAOC to give their pipeline surveillance contracts and other small jobs available to their youths so that his people could have a sense of belonging. He also called for the provision of other social amenities to ameliorate the suffering of the people of the area.
Gen. 2Baba also expressed dismay over the bad behaviour of SIAT Nig. Limited, an Agro-Allied Industry that is operating an Oil Palm Plantation in his area. According to him, their behaviour is the same: making all the money they can possibly make, and leaving the community with the negative effects of their activities.
While further narrating his grouse with the company, Gen. 2baba said, SIAT Nig. Ltd. had been in the habit of using soldiers and other armed elements to shoot and kill members of his community in their farms, around the area where the company’s plantation is located. He said security agents are always in the habit of crossing the border into the local bush, in the guise of pursuing or searching for poachers, and in the process, any young man seen around the farm area would simply be branded a thief and either arrested and taken away or shot and killed.
The statement recalled that in January, 2022, a young man named Bebeto Nkem Joel was shot and killed by SIAT security operatives, a matter which it said was still in court. It added that later in the year 2022, two youths, Chuka Emmanuel Osele and Ukela Ozumba were also shot by SIAT security operatives, all in the farm area just across the river. It explained that the most recent was the killing of Mr. Rejoice Ezekiel Iloka within the same farm area, an incident for which it said police investigation is now ongoing.
