Kinsmen of Government Ekpemukpolo, known as Tompolo, a former militant
\nleader, have asked the military, the Nigerian Police, and other security
\nagencies to exercise restraint in the execution of President Muhammadu
\nBuhari\u2019s directive to \u201cdeal ruthlessly with ballot box snatchers\u201d.<\/p>\n
Tompolo’s kinsmen, under the aegis of the Warriors Ijaw Peace Monitoring
\nGroup (WIPMG), said the Nigerian military and the Police should not take
\nadvantage of the directive to \u201charass and intimidate voters as the
\nriverine terrain is naturally difficult to navigate\u201d.<\/p>\n
Patrick Bigha, Chairman of WIPMG, urged the military adhere strictly to
\nits rules of engagement or code of conduct.<\/p>\n
The statement read: “There is over 200% increment of the cost of
\ntransportation in the riverine areas now. The only means of transportation
\nis by boats, and it is certain that voters must be transported from their
\nliving homes to their voting units by boats, either speedboats or slowly
\nmoving boats.<\/p>\n
“This advice became imperative as there is already fear and tension in the
\nriverine communities, because of the incessant harassment and intimidation
\nof riverine dwellers by the Nigerian military in recent times. The
\ngreatest evil one can inflict on the riverine dwellers is to stop them
\nfrom voting candidates of their choice during the elections, as it is the
\nonly means for them to participate in the affairs of the country.<\/p>\n
“One thing the military should know is that we are in a democratic state
\nand democracy has come to stay in Nigeria. The military must adhere
\nstrictly to its rules of engagement or code of conduct.<\/p>\n
“The riverine dwellers have realised that the bane of development in our
\ncountry is the election of leaders, as electing the wrong persons into
\npositions of authority has contributed greatly to the present level of
\ndevelopment in Nigeria, especially economic and infrastructural
\ndevelopment of the riverine communities, for instance, the abandonment of
\nthe Escravos free trade zone (EPZ) project, which compromises a gas city
\nat Ogidigben and a deep sea port in Gbaramatu kingdom.<\/p>\n
“The project was inaugurated by the former administration in March 2015.
\nThis is a project that would have employed about 150,000 personnel at the
\nconstruction stage. This project would have helped to reduce the level of
\nunemployment in Nigeria today, but it was abandoned by the current Federal
\nGovernment as a result of the 2015 election, even though the project was
\nlargely driving by the private sector.<\/p>\n
“Another example is the politicization of the Nigerian Maritime
\nUniversity, Okerenkoko, established by the former administration in May
\n2014. The university was almost written off by the current government, if
\nnot for the aggressive public outcry of Nigerians, and the university is
\nthe only good thing that has happened to the riverine communities in the
\nNiger Delta region since the existence of this country.<\/p>\n
“It is in view of all these happenings that we want to sincerely appeal to
\nthe military to understand the plight of the riverine dwellers, so that
\nthey can exercise their civic right unhindered.”<\/p>\n
Kinsmen of Government Ekpemukpolo, known as Tompolo, a former militant leader, have asked the military, the Nigerian Police, and other security agencies to exercise restraint in the execution of President…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":64951,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-64954","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-exclusive"],"yoast_head":"\n