Human rights group enjoins Federal Government to intervene in Omoku massacre … Accuses politicians, security agents of aiding, abetting ‘Don Wanny’
A civil Society group, the Institute of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law (IHRHL) has called on the federal government to stop the senseless killings of innocent Nigerians at Omoku, headquarters of Ogba-Egbema-Ndoni local government area, suspected to have been led by Ejima Igwe Dibia also known as ‘Don Wanny.’
In a statement issued in Port Harcourt and signed by its Executive Director, Anyakwee Nsirimovu, the group said the wanton killings at Omoku have been intermittent and that the killing of January 1, 2018 is one killing too many, pointing out that the federal government with all its instruments of coercion should intervene and save the people from this deadly band of criminals.
He wondered why an individual by his actions should appear bigger than the state as he goes about killing, maiming and plundering while the Nigerian state remains passive.
The executive director, who described the group as a terrorist group, narrated that without provocation the group killed gruesomely more than 20 law abiding citizens who were returning home from cross over night services in their various churches.
“We wish to call on the federal government of Nigeria, to urgently end the senseless spilling of the innocent blood of citizens on the ground which should be sprinkled only by the sweat of labour. If nothing else, the horror of this latest slaughter on January 1, should inspire the state to action, and insist on ballots not bullets for electoral democracy in Rivers state”.
Nsirimovu said no government should tolerate this kind of atrocity on the citizens, let alone the government of President Muhammadu Buhari noted for discipline and zero tolerance for terrorism and brigandry.
He said the federal government has all it takes to put a stop to these senseless killings.
“Don Wanny’ should be chased to the farthest end of Omoku forest and beyond. If the Nigerian state can deal with and subdue the terrorists of Sambisa forest, ‘Don Wanny’ and his group would not be a serious matter for an effective and efficiently assembled small force in ONNE LGA and its surroundings”.
He stated that why the ‘Don Wanny’ criminal gang had thrived over the years is because there could have been collusion and collaboration with some corrupt law enforcement agents and some members of the political class, who prefer intimidation of the people instead of persuasion for their votes.
“The federal government should be mindful of embedded corrupt security personnel in the region, and legions of interests determined and willing to protect the terrorists at the best costs.”
The Institute for Human Rights and Humanitarian Law wondered why since the 2015 elections when this group unleashed mayhem on the people of Omoku, the federal government has remained passive and also wondered why the activities of the group had not been on the national burner for public condemnation and federal government’s decisive actions.
“The federal government has been ominously, dreadfully silent about the wanton killings especially in Omoku since at least the elections of 2015. There is no debate, no discussions and no attempt to lay out for Rivers state, constitutional actions of punishments for the unparalleled and unacceptable impunity against the citizens. The federal government has stood passively mute in the face of heinous lawlessness of the political class in the state”.
Nsirimovu therefore, stated that this should not be tolerated particularly in the state that is the treasure base of the country and the goose that lays the golden egg.
