A former Ijaw Youth Council(IYC) President and former Commissioner in Delta State, Dr. Chris Ekiyor, has charged security operatives to get to the root of the murder of one Dennis Egbejule and his son by herdsmen at Toru Angiama, a community in Patani Local Government Area of Delta State on Tuesday.
“It is a pity that Okowa led government cannot put anything in order,” he lamented.
Dr. Ekiyor’s reaction went thus:
As former President of the Ijaw Youth Council(IYC), I have the capacity to mass mobilise Ijaw Youth for retaliation.
However, I have allowed reasons to prevail because I believe the Delta State Government, the Patani Local Government Council Chairman, and the various security agencies will find these killers.
The indigenes of the local government area, particular parents and locals, have continued to reach me to do something about the level of security risk the influx of herders are posing to farmers.
Only recently, it took His Royal Majesty, P.S. Erebulu, to use his influence to intervene on a near community/herders conflict when a group of herders stormed farm lands within the water front in Patani Town to graze.
We must recall that we are people already hungry and angry arising from the impact of the 2022 flood that destroyed our livelihood.
The government of the state must take steps to invoke a security council meeting and advise the military and police to assist in protecting communities.
The leaders and owners of the migrating herders must be warned that the Ijaws are not going to fold their hands and watch any one of our communities come under attack.
We have shown over time that we can stand our ground against any odd.
But it is best for the government to do its job as enshrined in our constitution in order to forestall crisis.
Remember, it took my leadership effort and initiative to bring peace in the Niger-Delta region. It will take nothing to wake up a response squad to radically engage any group of killer herdsmen.
If peace is what we seek, the road to peace must be peaceful.
Dr. Chris Ekiyor
President Emeritus
Ijaw Youth Council(IYC)
