IYC puts Ijaw on red alert over strange movements in riverine communities

Ijaw Youth Council, IYC, worldwide has raised the alarm over what it described as the strange movements of suspected herdsmen in some riverine communities in Niger Delta, alerting indigenes of the Ijaw communities to be on red alert and avoid a repeat of the violent killings in Owo, Ondo State.

IYC through its national spokesman, Ebilade Ekerefe, yesterday, in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, said  that intelligence report available to the council revealed that the movement of strange men under the guise of being Fulani herdsmen and non-indigenes was making indigenes of the communities in the region very uncomfortable.

According to him, “the movement may have arisen because of the tight security architecture in Rivers and Delta states.

“We want to call on Ijaw youths to be on red alert and not allow a repeat of the gory killing in Owo, Ondo State. We have observed some strange movements and we are not comfortable.

“We are also calling on security agencies to be on red alert and protect the lives of the people. We also call on non-indigenes residing in Ijaw communities to be vigilant and not allow unlawful individuals to infiltrate their midst to perpetuate evil in Ijaw Land.”

Condemning the recent church killings in Owo,  IYC called on President Muhammadu Buhari and the service chiefs to rejig the security architecture of the country, describing the poor handling of killings and insecurity in the country as shameful and pathetic despite series of meetings held by the President with the  security chiefs.

The IYC, however, called on the presidential standard bearers of the various political parties to take note that the Ijaw nation, which forms the fourth largest ethnic nationality in the country, would only support a political party and its candidate with sincere focus on true federalism, restructuring, review of revenue sharing formula and others.

It said: “While the search for the choice of running mates is ongoing, we urge the existing political parties and their standard flag bearers to embrace a running mate between the ages of 50 and below, a running mate that has the acceptance of millions of youths in the country. A detribalised youthful running mate that is competent irrespective of religious beliefs.

“The Ijaw have held the existing peace in the region of Niger Delta, not because the current administration performed, but because we are disappointed with the President Buhari’s administration and could not wait for the abysmal tenure to end.

“He played a deaf ear to issues of development in the Niger Delta and for over seven years, he has never considered it important to set up a substantive board for Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC.”