A civil society group, the Niger Delta Situation Room (NDSR), has written a petition to President Muhammadu Buhari, over threat to peace in communities in Upata Kingdom of Rivers State, due to the activities of a youth group, the Orashi Youth Forum (OYF).
The petition, signed by the NDSR coordinator, Comrade Maclean Amadi, and copied to the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Yakubu Dogara, listed the communities to include; Ogbele, Obumeze and Oshiugbokor, all in Ahoada-East local government area of Rivers State.
The group alleged that the peace in Upata Kingdom may go up in flames if the activities of a youth group led by Chiwokwa Nweze, acting as proxies for some forces in the local government area, is not checked.
NDSR alleged that Nweze has vowed to make the area ungovernable if, Niger Delta Petroleum Resources ( NDPR) an oil company operating in the area, does not pay the group and their patrons amounts running into billions of naira for unspecified reasons.
Amadi disclosed that during a recent fact-finding mission to the area, there was palpable tension in the air as residents revealed that they now live in fear, and barely sleep with their eyes closed.
He noted that the fear displayed by residents was not unfounded as similar activities of rogue youth groups plunged Omoku, an oil and gas production centre in Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni local government area in Rivers State into a theatre of bloodshed and a ghost town.
Noting that such an action can also scare away investors from the area, the group revealed that youths in the affected communities have vowed to resist any attempt by anyone, no matter how highly placed, to cause disaffection in the affected communities.
The NDSR urged the Presidency and the leadership of the National Assembly to urgently commence an investigation into the activities of the OYF with a view to nipping in the bud their plans to plunge the affected communities into crisis
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