Leaders of Odimodi community in Burutu Local Government Area of Delta State have expressed outrage at the alleged threat to its peace and security as well as the harassment of its 90-year-old monarch by the leadership of the Nigeria Navy’s NNS Delta.
They accused the Navy of partisanship, meddling in the community’s internal affairs and threatening the peace and security of the oil-producing Ijaw community.
The community’s leaders wrote to the Commanding Officer (CO) in Warri, Commodore Aliyu Sule, following his invitation to the nonagenarian clan head, Chief Yangaboy Angalabiri.
The letter, through Larry Ovwromoh and Associates, followed the CO’s alleged threat to take “action” against the monarch and the community’s leaders unless the monarch appeared before him in Warri.
Attempts to get the Navy’s reaction were unsuccessful.
The base Information Officer (IO), Lt. Tope Ogunaike, was unavailable. Commodore Sule also did not return our reporter’s calls or respond to a text message to his mobile phone.
But it was gathered that the Navy’s threat and invitation of the monarch were in response to the dissolution of the community’s executive by Chief Angalabiri.
The community’s leaders had been accusing the Navy of taking sides with a faction, which is not supported by the monarch and a large section of the clan.
The letter said: “We have closely examined your reasons for the meeting and the apparent threat that non-compliance to this invitation may further require the Naval command to direct the appropriate security agencies for further actions.
“We have also been informed that on August 4 you again directed your officers at the Forcados Terminal to visit the elderly Amadiwei to intimate him of the consequence of not attending the meeting on Friday, 7 August 7, at 10am at the Naval Base, NNS Delta, Warri.
“It is our client’s view that these allegations are cooked up as a justification by NNS Delta to attack Odimodi community to corroborate (a factional leader’s) boast of using the NNS Delta to attack our client’s community.”
The leaders accused the Navy of taking sides with those “threatening the peace of the area and the smooth operations of Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) and its workers have demonstrated total disrespect for law and order against an entire community”.
The letter added: “As a law-abiding community, our clients and the elders cannot fold their arms and watch a few misguided youths hijack the Odimodi Community Council to carry out unlawful and provocative activities that have threatened existing relationship between our clients and Ogulagha community on the one hand and SPDC on the other hand; hence, the inevitable decision to dissolve the council on July 26…”
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