…soldiers deployed to restore peace
Odahiekwu Ogunde, Yenagoa
Aggrieved youths of Twon-Brass in Brass Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, who have been protesting against the Nigerian Agip Oil Company since last Friday, have vandalised the palace of the Amayanabo of Twon-Brass Kingdom, Alfred Diette-Spiff.
Diette-Spiff is the first Military Governor of the old Rivers State and currently the Chairman of the Bayelsa State Traditional Rulers Council.
The youths have been protesting against the prolonged power outage in their area, alleged refusal of Agip to pay indigenous contractors as well as non-compliance with its corporate social responsibility to host communities.
It was learnt that tension heightened in the community when soldiers deployed in the area to disperse the protesters allegedly shot one of the protesters and injured some others.
Investigation revealed that the protest which began on Friday continued on Monday and Tuesday after information filtered in that an influential traditional ruler in the community had allegedly been paid by the oil company to discourage the protest.
Community sources said that King Alfred Diete- Spiff, who was not happy with the turn of events in his domain, had gone to address the protesters to allow peace reign.
But the situation was said to have gone worse when the protesters reportedly began to rain invectives on Diete-Spiff and started stoning him with sachet water.
A source, who spoke in confidence, said some of the aggrieved protesters moved to the residence of Diete-Spiff and vandalised his house and vehicle, an action that forced security personnel to whisk him away from the scene.
The source said after the Amayanabo was rescued, soldiers were called in and they started shooting sporadically to disperse the protesters from the barricades they mounted in the area.
“The soldiers came in and started shooting to disperse the protesters. In the process, one person was shot in the leg while some persons were injured while scampering for safety,” the source claimed.
Meanwhile, the personal attack on Diete-Spiff as well as the destruction of his house and vehicle has been greeted with condemnations.
The Ijaw Youths Council, Brass Clan, the member representing Brass Constituency 1 at the State House of Assembly, Hon. Daniel Charles, and Founder of a political group in Brass, The New Face, Robert Desmond, have roundly condemned the unwarranted attack on the home of the traditional ruler.
The IYC, Brass Clan, led by its Chairman, Comrade Bello Richard and Clan Rep, Benjamin Tuaton, described the attack on the royal palace as “despicable, unthinkable and condemnable”.
The duo of Charles and Desmond said the shooting of one of the protesters by a soldier was not deliberate and that the youths shouldn not have gone to the extent of vandalising the home of their king.
The IYC said: “From our findings, we gathered that the shooting took place when some persons hijacked the protest and instigated the attack on the palace of the Amayanabo of Twon Brass, King Alfred Diete-Spiff.
“As the apex body representing all Ijaw youths in the clan, we condemn in strong terms the brazen disrespect for the King of Twon Brass. We will not condone an attack on his person from anybody, be it an Ijaw person or foreigner.”
Further commenting on the attack, Robert said though many of the protesters were complaining of leadership failure in Twon Brass, the attack on the palace of Diete-Spiff was ill-advised.
“If the people want to make their grievances known, it must be done in the right way. We should listen and ask question if we are not satisfied. What we are calling for is a better Twon-Brass with the right leadership,” he said.