. Attack sacrilegious, says group
Odahiekwu Ogunde, Yenagoa
Angry protesters in the ongoing protest against police brutality have attacked the President of the Ijaw Youth Council Worldwide, Comrade Peter Igbifa, over his alleged reluctance to call out Ijaw youths from the Niger Delta to join in the protest.
Igbifa reportedly went to the Bayelsa State Government House to visit Governor Douye Diri but met a crowd of protesters who turned against him, shouting ‘thief! thief! coward!
The protesters, suspected to be hoodlums that infiltrated the EndSARS protest, reportedly stoned him (Igbifa) with sachet water.
Igbifa was eventually spirited out of the rowdy situation by some bodyguards and a few Ijaw youths.
Some of the protesters also accused him of being “too frequent at the state Government House” and “failure to lead Ijaw youths in the ongoing EndSARS protest in the Niger Delta.”
Reacting to the development, spokesman for IYC, Comrade Ebilade Ekerefe, described the action of the unguarded protesters as a “sacrilege”.
He said, “IYC is a movement that is founded on principles with a clear mandate and therefore, cannot jump into the arena of socio-political struggles without studying the unfolding developments and the positive impact such struggles will bring to the table for our people.
“It is against this background that we share solidarity with the bravery and the undying spirits of the Nigerian youths who have suffered directly in the hands of police brutality, oppression and intimidation. And as council, we have always come to the rescue of innocent Ijaw youths who have several times been detained unjustly by the police when called upon.
“Our people should know that as the ENDSARS protest is going on, every region is strategising and ours cannot be different.
“As a council, we consider the ENDSARS protest as a metaphor for a restructured Nigeria. A Nigeria where the principles of true federalism and resource control will be total and not selective as we’ve witnessed in the case of Zamfara gold.
“A Nigeria where there will be no military invasion on our communities in the guise of looking for criminals where there is none. A country where there will be equitable distribution of political power. A country where the Federal Government will not use obnoxious laws and legislations to take over what is rightfully ours like they did in the Land Use Act and the proposed anti-people National Water Resources Bill, among others.”
Ekerefe said that as a council, they might not have got it right completely, but believed they were doing their best in consulting with leaders from the region to come up with a programme that would serve the purpose of their people in the struggle.
He added, “While these steps are going on, some unguarded protesters among genuine ones attacked the president of IYC. This is sacrilegious and unacceptable.
“The president of the IYC is the symbol of the Ijaw struggle and the office should be revered and respected by all. We can’t treat institutions that have fought for our survival and still fighting with so much disdain if we are fighting for our regional interest.”