Tuesday, 14 December 2010
Following reports of a full-scale military invasion of Ayakoromo, a federated community along River Forcados in Burutu Local Government Area of Delta State, we dispatched three separate teams to the community in company with respected International human right bodies and the media to ascertain the truth.
Ayakoromo, an autonomous city-state is about 25 nautical miles from the oil city of Warri. By the 1991 population census, Ayakoromo recorded a head count of 41,204 persons. The community occupies a stretch of the Forcados River and part of its estuary.
These high population and geographical expanse confer on Ayakoromo, the melting pot of commercial and socio-political activities; and a high-way of contact among communities in the Western Niger Delta. Her citizens have attained a high- level of professional strength and exposure in various fields of human endeavour.
The indigenes who speak the Ijaw language engage in productive activities such as fishing, farming, canoe carving, masonry, trading and local gin distillery. Ayakoromo is the home of the Catholic Faith in Ijawland. Besides, its huge catholic population, it has produced the highest number of catholic priests among Ijaw communities in Nigeria. The people are sociable and hospitable.
In 2004, some misguided youths led by one John Togo terrorized the community and its neighbours. He was consequently outlawed and ostracized by Ayakoromo community. Later that year, John Togo was arrested in Port Harcourt and detained at the David Ejoor Barracks, Warri. But for reasons best known to the authorities, John Togo without trial after more than 2 years in detention was freed.
He subsequently became part of the militancy in the Niger Delta. John Togo accepted amnesty offered by Late President Umaru Yar’Adua in 2009. The post-amnesty programme transformed most of the militants into emperors, among who was John Togo. He suddenly became a close ally of the Federal Government and it’s Military.
This was displayed in John Togo’s farm-camp; about 3 miles from Ayakoromo town where military officers dined and wined daily with him. With this you can easily decipher why the harmless and defenseless citizens cannot challenge the now heavily-armed militant called John Togo.
Why John Togo recently backed out from the amnesty programme is a secret between the Federal Government, its military and the man himself. On several occasions, the community leaders provided the military with information at the David Ejoor Barracks, yet the military did not act decisively.
This was also confirmed by the JTF Commander, Major-General Charles Omoregie in his interviews with the press. (eg The Nation of Sunday December 5th 2010 and Sun Rise Daily programme of Channels TV of Tuesday 7th December, 2010.)
Ladies and gentlemen, what placed Ayakoromo community in the anvil for hammering on that fateful 1st December, 2010 was spine-chilling to say the least. Although, for days, speculations were rife of an imminent invasion of the community by the military in search of John Togo; many never believed it would happen because John Togo neither had a camp nor a living house in the town.
John Togo for over two years never lived in the town. The military knows where John Togo’s camps are – they are far away from the community. JOHN TOGO OR HIS FOLLOWERS NEVER FLED INTO AYAKOROMO OR USED IT AS A SHIELD THAT VERY DAY OF THE ATTACK.
At about 12noon that day, soldiers in more than 10 gun boats started shooting indiscriminately from the western fringe of the town. In less than 20 minutes after the gun boats were seen, 4 jet- fighters from the Warri axis emerged and started shelling the community. From the eastern end of the community landed heavy artillery with grenade launchers and other sophisticated weapons.
It was a thoroughly-planned and mobilized punitive expedition that is only intended to achieve a genocidal purpose! At the end of the day about 51 persons were confirmed dead. Over 500 persons sustained injuries of various degrees. What was left of the community after the bombardments were corpses in their pool of blood and ashes: Over 200 buildings in the community also went down in rubbles!
Not done! The following day, 2nd December, 2010 the soldiers came back, looting, raping, and burning down every house in the community especially in the Community Reserved Area (CRA). After looting, each house was set ablaze. WERE ALL THESE REALLY IN SEARCH OF A RENEGADE MILITANT WHO WAS NEVER NEAR THE TOWN?
By our last count, 15 children, 11 women and 25 men have been confirmed dead. Over 100 persons have been declared missing. And over 10,000 persons have been displaced. They have become refugees in Ughelli, Warri, Ogbe-Ijoh, Bomadi, Burutu, Gbekebor, Obotebe and some communities in Bayelsa State while some are held hostage in Ngbilebiri Primary School compound in Ayakoromo. In anticipation of the visit by human rights bodies, the soldiers hurriedly forced the hostages to dig mass graves at different locations in the community and buried some of the corpses while some were carried to a waiting gun boat and taken away. Among these lot were Pa Yeigagha; a 72-year old blind and retired headmaster who could not run was roasted alive in his own house; Mama Alina Emolade, 97-year old; in a bid to escape from the invasion, got trapped and paralyzed in both legs in the swampy forest. She was later found and carried to a hospital in Warri but died the next day. The ‘Amaokosuowei’ (the oldest man in Ayakoromo), Pa Emone Tuedon, 119-year old, was shot in the leg by soldiers and is currently recuperating in a hospital in Warri. Some casualties are still in coma in various hospitals in Warri. Some may face permanent disabilities, while others might eventually be sent to their early graves.
Surely, we are at a loss finding a correlation between searching for criminals and the heartless massacre of defenseless and harmless children, women and men by a supposedly-responsible government. No civilized military in the world will invade its own territory, kill, maim indigenes and raze down houses of innocent citizens under the guise of arresting a criminal.
Every professional army with the awesome intelligence at its disposal, even in war-torn territories will not take to this barbarity because every military expedition is guided by operational directives or rules of engagement e.g the protection of the life of the innocent. In this case, it is heart-rending to note that a military that committed such enormous tragedy rushed to the press in order to mislead the public and the presidency; and prevented the media from getting on-the-scene reports. It is spurious and laughable for the JTF to claim that all the children, old women and men of over 70 years casualties were militants; even the oldest man in the community. Is the house of the father of a Texas-based Rev. Fr. Mathias Selemobiri a militant camp? What about the houses of Late (Pa) T. O. Onduku (JP) and Mr. S. K. Kokole (a retired head of personnel management in Delta State), were these militant camps or were they on the coast line? What about the Customary Court, the Post Office, the Health Centre, were they all militant camps? The issue that all of them were burnt down begs for answers! If we believe in the omniscience of God, we shall one day face the consequences of our treachery! Governance has really failed in Nigeria. How do we build the faith of our growing children in the Nigerian project when lies have become our national watchword! It is on record that Obasanjo burnt down Odi and Odioma; Yar’Adua burnt down Gbaramatu Kingdom and now, President Goodluck Jonathan is making history with Ayakoromo community.
We hold the Federal Government of Nigeria and particularly the National Security Agency (NSA) under President Goodluck Jonathan and National Security Adviser, General Owoeye Azazi (rtd) respectively, responsible for the tragedy that has befallen Ayakoromo community. Our generation and generations yet unborn will not forget or forgive them. This is because we thought the prejudice demonstrated against the Niger Delta people has gone for good with this dispensation. The policy of suppression, exploitation and oppression of the weak Niger Delta people has been defined by race and power. Power really has blinded even our brothers! It has been the collective dream of every Ijaw man for Dr. Goodluck Jonathan to be the next elected President of Nigeria, but by allowing the JTF to trespass his executive responsibility as Commander-in-Chief and his attendant ominous silence after the massacre, he has betrayed us. We are truly disappointed in Mr. President’s silence over the massacre. We assure him, Mr. President and General Azazi that they may rule as long as God permits but AYAKOROMO COMMUNITY WILL RISE AGAIN AND OUTLIVE THEM!
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