ONYEDI GABRIEL, Port Harcourt
The Ijaw Youths Council (IYC) Worldwide has condemned the bloody conflict that has claimed four lives in Bilabiri in Ekeremor Local Government Area.
The council said a proposed security contract triggered disagreements that led to the communal war.
The IYC in a statement signed by its President, Peter Timothy Igbifa, on Friday, appealed to the warring parties to sheathe their swords, saying it was irresponsible for brothers to pick arms against themselves.
Igbifa said instead of bloodshed the brothers should sit down in a roundtable to discuss the issues and resolve grey areas of their differences, insisting that dialogue remained the best tool in dispute resolution.
The IYC boss called on the police and other security agencies to immediately move into the warring community and restore order to stop further breakdown of law and order.
He said the council was willing to work with stakeholders of Bilabiri and security agencies to restore the peace in the area.
Igbifa further urged the state Governor, Senator Douye Diri, to raise a peace panel that would work with all the parties in the dispute to identify the causes of the crisis and permanently resolve them.
He said: “It is irresponsible and unbelievable that our brothers will shed their blood because of a job that is coming to their area. As a council, we condemn the bloody conflict in Bilabiri and we are asking those involve in thos dastardly act to stop further bloodshed.
“The Council is calling on security agencies especially the police to move into the community and restore the peace to avert further breakdown of law and order. We are also appealing to our Governor, Senator Douye Diri to raise a peace panel that will identify the remote and immediate causes of the conflict and permanently resolve them.
“The IYC is ready to work with security agencies and all the parties involved in the conflict to ensure it doesn’t happen again”.