The National Union of Ogoni Students in the United States of America (NUOS USA) wishes to call on the President of Nigeria Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the Service Chiefs to initiate a probe into the killing spree which engulfed the entire Ogoni between January 1, 2015 to date.
NUOS USA is appalled by the spate of violence which engulfed a part of Rivers State within the period without any investigation by government nor punishment for perpetrators.
NUOS USA is further worried that while the violence ravaged Ogoni, the Government looked the other way thereby exacerbating the sorry state of the Ogoni people who live in a terribly degraded society.
The security situation has had profound effects on the mental health of the people and created an internal refugee crisis. Moreover, the crackdown on civil rights campaigners has worsened the refugee situation in Ogoni which is of strong concern to NUOS USA.
Government cannot pretend or fend ignorance of the profound effects of the killings on the physical and mental health of the people.
Amongst others, on the night of January 4th 2022 Daewifa Victor Barima Wifa, an Ogoni born American, escaped assassination in Kono, Khana local government area and was arrested and detained while reporting the incident to the Police in Bori Police Station.
On 24th November, 2018, Dr. Lucky N. Kina an Opthamologist expert and philanthropist was assassinated in his community, Kpean .
On 19th May, 2019, not less than 20 persons were killed in Boue, Khana local government area, On February 6, 2021, five persons were killed in Zor Sogho, Khana local government area.
On March 9, 2019, Dr. Ferry Gberegbe, a lecturer at the Ken Saro-Wiwa polytechnic, was killed in Bori during the national elections. One man was killed by the Nigerian army in Kegbara-Dere on the 21st April 2019,
On 9th April 2019, Sorle Deekae a democratic activist, a retired Army Staff Sergeant (Paramount Ruler) of Bere and Friday Dugbor, retired Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP) were killed, and the CSP head was taken away in Bane, Khana local government area. In February, 2016, an estimated 40 persons were killed in military raids just ahead of a senatorial rerun election, Dr. Vincent Ebeh, was also killed during the period preceding the senatorial rerun.
The National Union of Ogoni Students consider the domination of violence, assassinations and gangsterism in one part of Rivers State to be an anomaly and therefore demand an investigation into the killings.
We hope that an investigation will unravel the causes and key actors in the crimes with the hope of bringing them to account.
NUOS USA is strongly convinced that most of the killings were politically motivated and a deliberate attempt to cause deep crises in Ogoni with the use of mercenaries sponsored by political actors whose goal were to suppress the political will of the people during the elections and at other times, to repress civil rights actors within Ogoni, intimidate and suppress their desire for freedom.
We regret that till this day, the Ogoni region remains the only part of Rivers State where violence has persisted and has remained unabated. We therefore demand that the Nigeria government will come clean with a detailed investigation to unravel the key actors and sponsors of the killings that ravaged parts of Ogoni during the period.
Signed:
Freddie Idamkue
President.
NUOS USA
Phoenix AZ. 85041. USA.
