Six days after siege and unsuccessful search, soldiers moved out of Oporoza, the traditional headquarters of Gbaramatu Kingdom, Warri South-West Local Government Area, Delta State on Friday without arresting ex-militant leader, Government Ekpemupolo, alias Tompolo.
Notwithstanding the withdrawal of the military 24 hours after militants, in a surprise attack, three days ago, killed two soldiers, six civilians and sank a military houseboat in Warri South local government area, Saturday Vanguard learned that the running battle between the Joint Task Force, JTF, in the Niger Delta and Niger Delta Avengers, NDA, continues.
In fact, the Avengers blew up the Forcados Export Line belonging to Shell Petroleum Development Company, SPDC, at about 3.00 am on Friday.
In their quest for glory, the Army arrested 10-suspected members of NDA, who the Commander, 4th Brigade, Nigeria Army, Benin City, Brigadier General Farouk Yahaya, paraded last Sunday, in Benin City, with arms and ammunition, including pistol and magazines, explosive devices, ipads, laptops, combat boot, dagger, cable wire, speedboat throttle cable, among others recovered from them.
Though the militant groupseriously denied that the military arrested any of its members. Similarly, the spokesperson of Gbaramatu Traditional Council, GTC, Chief Godspower Gbenekama, Ijaw People Development Initiative, IPDI, National Association of Gbaramatu Students, NAGS, and others maintained that the apprehended persons were not militants and gave their names.
They gave the names of the 10 persons whose release they demanded as Ebis Emma Job (SS1 Student, Gbaraun Grammar School, Oporoza), Philip Gagha (Palace cook), Andrew (Palace driver) and Tebe-ebi (Palace tailor).
Others are Emotimifagha (Student of Gbaraun Grammar School, Oporoza), John David (Student of Gbaraun Grammar School, Oporoza), Solomon Teiwei (Student of Gbaraun Grammar School, Oporoza), Oromoni Peter Miyebi (Community boy), Godspower Abraham (Student of Gbaraun Grammar School, Oporoza) and Bright (mechanic).
The military took over Oporoza, last week, but a dependable source hinted, weeks before the invasion that Tompolo had since fled the kingdom.
The man they regard as General Officer Commanding, GOC, Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger-Delta, MEND, in a press statement, 24 hours after soldiers took over Oporoza, also maintained that he had left Gbaramatu Kingdom.
Military commanders, who acted on a tip-off that he was hibernating in Oporoza with members of the Niger Delta Avengers did not believe the story and stormed Kurutie, his father’s home town in search of him and others.
They found neither him nor his father, who had also escaped from the community. Chief Gbenekama confirmed to Saturday Vanguard that soldiers were, indeed, demobilizing from Oporoza when contacted about 11.00 am.
Public Relations Officer of Oporoza Youths, Paul Kirifade, told reporters: “They are leaving as I am talking to you now.”
“I thank God that the military have seen with their eyes what we have been telling them since, that the people of Gbaramatu kingdom are not Niger Delta Avengers, we do not know them and we do not wish to know them.”
“They came here looking for Tompolo, I said it before that Tompolo is our son, but since the EFCC declared him wanted, we have not seen him. He had left Gbaramatu kingdom, but whistle blowers told them he was here, they have searched for him and I think it is now clear to them that he is not here.
“I can also tell you that they did not find any member of Niger Delta Avengers here, but I am not saying that there are no criminals in Gbaramatu kingdom. Those they arrested are not militants and talking about the arms and ammunition they recovered, I tell you that I do not know about that,” he added.
“I must thank the media; they are the ones that cried out for us, you can see the molestation, looting and inconvenience that they caused thousands of residents of Oporoza, Kurutie, Okerenkoko, Kokodiagbene and other Ijaw communities they raided.”
“We are not saying they should not do their work, but they should work with good intelligence and isolate the criminals they are looking for, instead of subjecting the whole of Gbaramatu people to untold hardship and even branding all of us as militants, “he asserted.
Another youth leader, Frank Ekpemupolo, said, “We just noticed that they suddenly left the community after laying siege to us for a week.”
“We cannot tell if they have left finally or if they are returning back to the community, but we are hoping social and economic activities can return to normal while residents of the community embark on their daily affairs,” he said.
-Emmanuel Ikechukwu
