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Fresh Warri Crisis Claims 15 - 5 Villages Razed

Daily Champion (Lagos)
NEWS
July 15, 2004
Posted to the web July 15, 2004

By Segun James
Warri
Fifteen persons were killed and five villages destroyed when Ijaw youths and
the Egbema community in Warri North council area of Delta State engaged
themselves in battle.
Cheery news, however, came for the crises-prone oil city as the state
government announced the lifting of the curfew placed on the area since last
year.
Daily Champion gathered that men of the joint military task force on the Niger
Delta, Operation Restore Hope had gone to the Egbema area as part of their
cordon and search operation when they ran into heavy fire from some Ijaw youths
at Ogbudugbu village.
During the battle that followed, 15 persons were allegedly killed and five
villages destroyed by the armed forces.
Commander of Operation Restore Hope, Brig. Gen. Elias Zamani confirmed the
incident, but denied that anybody died.
According to him, following superior fire power from his men, the Ijaw youths
escaped into the surrounding forest, adding that the soldiers recovered a
number of weapons including one belonging to a Naval officer that was killed in
the area sometime ago.
Brig. Gen. Zamani said that when his men advanced into another village, called
Sunny Zion, they recovered sophisticated telecommunications facilities used by
militants during the operations.
But the Egbema people in a swift reaction said that there is no way the army
could have invaded any area where five villages were razed and the people
escaped into the mangrove rainforest without any casualties.
According to the Egbema United Front (EUF), in a statement signed by Messrs.
Sunny Jero, Israel Tiemo and Dandy Soroaye, the five villages razed are Sunny
Zion, Ibegbagbene, Odiogdogbene, Opia and Ogbingbiri.
They said that one of the major casualties of the invasion was one Mr. Sunny
Jero who lost seven houses during the invasion with his property looted and
members of his family driven into the forest.
Mr. Jero was one of the representatives of Egbema in the recent peace accord
signed in Warri.
The Egbema people have therefore threatened to pull out of the peace process.
However, there was a ray of hope in the area yesterday. A statement lifting the
curfew, and signed by the Secretary of the State Government (SSG), Dr. Emmanuel
Uduaghan said the development was with "immediate effect."
"For the information of the general public and residents of Warri metropolis,
in particular, that after careful appraisal of the gradual return of peace to
Warri and its environs, the state security coucil, at its meeting held today
(yesterday), 14th July, 2004, has decided, to completely lift the curfew
imposed on Warri metropolis in the wake of inter-ethnic crisis sometime ago,"
the SSG said.
He called on residents and visitors to the town to go about their lawful
activities without let or hindrance.
The SSG explained that security personnel will continue to maintain
surveillance duties in the town to check any acts of lawlessness.
He appealed to the people to ensure sustenance of what he described as the
current peace and tranquility in the town.

   

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