Its Genocide In Niger Delta, Says Group

Its Genocide In Niger Delta, Says Group

GRASSROOTS Initiative for Peace and Democracy (GIPD), a civil society group, yesterday claimed that what was going on in the Ijaw area of Warri in Delta State ''is a premeditated war of genocide aimed at wiping out the Ijaw people''.

Executive Director of the group, Mr. Akinaka Richard, who made this claim in a telephone interview with our correspondent said some 760 people have so far lost their lives since the military offensive began in Gbaramatu.

According to him, ''some of those who died were caught in the cross-fire, mostly civilians. As at Tuesday morning, information reaching us indicate that over 30,000 citizens have been displaced''.

''As an organisation, we wholeheartedly condemn this calous invasion and bombardment of Ijaw comunities in Delta state by the Nigerian armed security forces. As we see it, this action which is predicated on the fight against militancy, is clearly an orchestrated effort by the repressive state institutions to wipe out the Ijaw people and destroy their towns as they did to Odi in Bayelsa.State'', the group said.

According to them, ''this is a manifestation of government unwillingness to resolve the Niger Delta crisis peacefully. This has indeed, vindicated our earlier fears on the amnesty proposed by President Umaru Yar'Adua to militants. It is a failure on the part of government to engage its own citizens in a war, rather than peacefully resolve the socio-economic and environmental conflict in the oil region''.

The group argued that if government could send troops to sack local communities, ''it is obvious that Abuja wants to replicate the Pakistan situation in the Niger Delta. This is unacceptable''.

Continuing, they said, ''the use of three sophisticated helicopters, 25 gunboats, and two naval warships on local communities in the name of fighting militants is unacceptable to us because the targeted locations are communal settlements''.

Adding, they said, ''we are calling on wellmeaning citizens at home and in the diaspora as well as the international community to come to the aid of the oppressed people of the Niger Delta by condeming the genocide on Ijaw communities and prevailing on the government of Nigeria to stop this evil against the people whose resources are the main stay of the country's economy''

ENDS

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