The August 14 attack on journalists who had gone for an on-the-spot assessment of the situation in Opu- Nembe, Nembe Local Government Area by suspected hoodlums brandishing sophisticated weapons paints the true picture of the turmoil in the once serene community. The journalists were not only attacked, their phones, cameras, ATM cards and cash were confiscated for daring to capture images of buildings and properties destroyed by a faction of the youths in the community. Famed for its rich culture, its array of sumptuous meals garnished with periwinkle and other sea-foods, yellow soup, plantain porridge and pepper soup, strong willed men and beautiful women, Opu- Nembe is gradually sliding into the Hobbesian state of nature where life is nasty, brutish and short.

Genesis of Turmoil

Sources in the community have traced the remote cause of the current crisis to the struggle for the economic control of the oil rich community. Being a host community to Aiteo and the attendant benefits, some sections of the chiefs have complained that the vast majority have not benefited from what Aiteo is giving the community. Closely related to this is the polarization of the youth body along the lines of those loyal to Dr Kojo Sam, a businessman, philanthropist and Surveillance Contractor, and his estranged ‘godson,’ Moses Ayerite.

Investigations revealed that when the tenure of Theophilus Iruo expired as youth president, Kojo Sam backed Moses Ayerite to emerge as Iruo’s successor. Though some people were not happy and even warned against crowning Ayerite as the youth President, eventually he was elected as the youth president.

The relationship between Kojo and Ayerite was smooth until fifth columnists sowed seeds of discord which began to germinate until it assumed a monstrous proportion. Findings revealed that the crisis started brewing when the struggle for economic control and benefits accruing to the community became intense and the object of attraction. It was believed that a section of the Council of Chiefs who also wanted a piece of the ‘national cake’ allegedly propped up Ayerite to part ways with his boss and seize control of affairs of the community.

Saturday Sun gathered that the tensed situation in the community began building up in late early 2021 and continued until March 2022 when the Amanayanbo of Opu-Nembe, King Biobelemoye

Josiah Ogbodo VIII brokered peace among all the warring factions in the community which culminated in a peace accord and Thanksgiving Day attended by who is who in Opu-Nembe. However, the fragile peace of the community was brutally violated on February 15 2023 when gunmen invaded the community and killed three persons. The deaths triggered recriminations, with Ayerite and the Council of Chiefs pointing fingers at Kojo Sam prompting a swift denial, even as he vowed to seek all legitimate means to clear his name.

Few weeks to the general elections, the former Minister of State, Petroleum, Chief Timipre Sylva had visited the community to commiserate with the people over the February 15 attack. During a meeting held at the community square, the people tasked Sylva, who was well received by the elders, women and youths to help submit a petition to the police to arrest the perpetrators. They also demanded that Sylva should use his influence to withdraw the surveillance contract from Kojo Sam. Between March and May 2023, the Council of Chiefs mounted pressure on Sylva to accede to their request especially on the surveillance contract to which Sylva pleaded for patience, noting that the police would need to do their own Investigation.

In May, 2023, the Council of Chiefs led by Chief Ikoli, in a press conference addressed in the community expressed sadness that Sylva had not done what they demanded of him and raised alarm over an impending attack on the community.

“Despite assurances given by the former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Hon. Timipre Sylva during his visit to commiserate with the community over the attack and his promise to submit a petition to IGP on behalf of the Kingdom and to withdraw the Pipeline Surveillance contract from Mr. Kojo Sam, Sylva never carried out these promises,” Chief Ikoli said.

However, in a swift reaction, Iruo who was also accused of being part of the plot to attack the community absolved Sylva of any blame and rather accused some chiefs in the community of colluding with a section of the youths to launch a smear campaign against Sylva and unleash mayhem on innocent people.

“The latest attempt to spin lies and turn them into facts is a regurgitation of the lies dished out to the public in the first press conference held on March 7, 2023. The only addition is that the latest press conference has exposed Chief Ezekiel Ikoli and his paymasters about their real intentions in the whole saga.

“It is obvious that Chief Ezekiel Ikoli, realising that the Opu-Nembe people are beginning to know the truth about the actual sponsors of crisis in Opu-Nembe, is apparently frustrated that the innocent people of Nembe are not buying his tissue of lies and has gone on the offensive raising false alarm about an impending attack,” he said.

According to Iruo, the only crime Sylva committed was his refusal “to be part of the evil machinations to sanction indiscriminate arrest of innocent people by insisting on the course of justice.”

He went further to Impute political connotations to the offensive launched by a section of the Chiefs against Sylva.

“The real motive of this latest press conference is the plot to demarket Chief Timipre Sylva who is the governorship candidate of the All Progressive Congress (APC) in the forthcoming governorship election. The intention is to create the impression that Sylva is not popular among his people and that he needs violence to win votes in Opu-Nembe. This is a political script given to Chief Ezekiel Ikoli and at the appropriate time I shall expose his paymasters. Let it be known to all peace-loving people of Opu-Nembe that myself, Dr Kojo Sam and others are not planning any attack on our people on behalf of Chief Sylva.”

Exiling chiefs

Things took a turn for the worse on July 8^th 2023, when some chiefs were allegedly exiled from the community for attending the birthday celebration of Sylva which was held in Yenagoa. Not only that, their buildings were also destroyed. The Chiefs under the aegis of Concerned Citizens of Opu-Nembe, in a press conference accused a faction of the youths led by Ayerite of harassment and intimidation.

“It has become a phenomenal act of the youths of Opu-Nembe (Bassambiri) to send on exile any perceived enemies who try to speak against their activities in the community. Precisely on Saturday, 8^th July, 2023, the president of the youths federation, Mr. Ayerite Ebinimi Moses pronounced the exiling of 28 Chiefs from Opu-Nembe (Bassambiri) because the chiefs attended the birthday party of Chief Timipre Marlin Sylva, former Minister of Petroleum, State.

“We cannot decipher the rationale that prompted such a prerogative and bizarre act. The question is: when did such an act of celebrating with a son and brother on his birthday become a crime in Opu-Nembe and/or anywhere in the world? And the consequence of such is the losing of the right of citizenship or indigeneship of Opu-Nembe (Bassambiri) community.

“We the affected traditional chiefs and prominent people of the community do not comprehend what section of the Nigerian constitution vis-as-vis the constitution of the Opu-Nembe Council of Chiefs that was violated by us, regarding the attending of someone’s birthday party,” said Chief Keinghosuote Degi on behalf of the group.

Chief Degi who lamented that their houses had been destroyed, called on relevant law enforcement agency, such as the Police, Military (JTF), DSS, to come to their aid and enthrone peace in the community and also maintain permanent presence in the community to forestall further unleashing of mayhem, gangsterism, rape and cultism by some of the youths.

Ayerite, in his defence, in an interview, insisted that Chief Degi and co were lying over their claims that they were exiled from the community. According to him he has no power to exile people from the community. However, Ayerite’s defence runs contrary to that of his deputy, Nimbofa Collins who actually confirmed the expulsion of the chiefs. He said the chiefs were exiled because they have not shown enough concern about the plight of families who lost loved ones during the February 15 attack. He said attending Sylva’s birthday when he has not done what he promised the people makes the chiefs enemies of the community.

Police deployment sparks controversy

The Bayelsa State Government had tried to mediate in the crisis. The Senator Douye Diri led administration intervened, calling a series of meetings to bring about peace. But some chiefs who were exiled maintained that the state government was not sincere as it had already taken sides. Apparently frustrated by the seeming elusive peace, Diri in one of his interventions in July said the government “will not sit down and watch anybody make Nembe-Bassambiri ungovernable.

“Let me say this with all sense of responsibility that those who have been playing politics with security in the area will be dealt with, no matter how highly placed,” he added.

It was this prevailing insecurity that led the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun to deploy a special team of Police Mobile Force (PMF) and Special Weapons and Tactical (SWAT) unit to conduct a sting operation on the night of August 12.

The police operatives who came in coaster buses and Hilux vans were resisted by a cross section of the women and youths who accused Sylva and some youths opposed to the reign of Ayerite of using police to invade the community. This line of thought was immediately punctured by the Police Public Relations Officer (PPR0), SP Asinim Butswat confirmed that the police operatives were on legitimate duty.

“Contrary to the misleading information being circulated on social media platforms, that armed thugs dressed in police uniforms invaded Nembe Bassambiri community, on 12 August 2023, the Bayelsa State Police Command wishes to state categorically that a detachment of Mobile Policemen (PMF) and SWAT operatives from Force Headquarters, Abuja carried out a sting operation in Nembe Bassambiri on 12 “August 2023. Some arms and ammunition were recovered and suspects were arrested. The sting operation was conducted professionally, based on the standard operating procedure of the Nigeria Police Force. No life was lost. Members of the community are urged to go about their lawful and legitimate businesses as the police would not harass or intimidate any law-abiding citizen. Investigation is ongoing and the outcome would be made public.”

A follow-up statement was issued from Force PRO, ACP Olumuyiwa Adejobi Headquarters after the parade of suspects and display of arms and ammunition recovered stated that the “operation was carried out by a combined team of police operatives to sanitize the community, and the officers were professional, neutral, and proactive in the mission to liberate members of the community from the terror instilled by the nefarious activities of the armed hoodlums as the Force will not allow lawlessness or gross violations of the laws in any part of the country”

The action of the Police received applause from Chief Degi and other chiefs exiled from the community. According to them the IGP should be commended for the swift response to their plight and readiness to address injustice.

They noted that the deployment of police operatives and arrest of some youths “will definitely serve as a deterrent to any other barbaric and unsavoury acts of intimidation and harassment, killing raping and looting, as well as, destruction of houses and property belonging to innocent and law-abiding citizens of Opu-Nembe (Bassambiri) community.”

“We therefore, urge all well-meaning sons and daughters of Opu-Nembe Bassambiri Community, who have deserted the community for fear of danger to go back home and carry out their legitimate activities. For, God has answered our prayers. The Inspector-General of Police (IGP) and the security agents have rescued the community from the grip of fear, impunity and trepidation, and near anarchy ravaging the community.” However, the state government has kicked against the deployment of policemen by the IGP, noting that it has political undertones.

The deputy governor, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, who visited the community on behalf of Governor Douye Diri, said the modus operandi supposedly adopted by the crack team to mop up arms in the area was faulty.

He noted that true professional operation requires them to go after the real criminals rather than harass and arbitrarily arrest peaceful and law-abiding citizens of the Nembe Kingdom.

“On the impression we have, clearly most of our fears have been justified – that the deployment of the police from Abuja into Opu Nembe is not actually for the purposes of mopping up arms.

“What we’ve seen is that there is a very high level of human rights abuse here. As you can see, I’m at the General Hospital here in Nembe to visit a woman who was shot by somebody in a police uniform. And I’m evacuating her to Yenagoa.

“We also have the report that a distress call was sent from a police station, when even the DPO had not raised an alarm. I don’t know how somebody in Abuja will know that there is a security threat at the police station and send people to come and start shooting aimlessly.”

The Bayelsa State House of Assembly followed suit with a resolution calling on the IGP to withdraw the police operatives from Nembe and also for the state government to set up a judicial panel of inquiry into the killings in the community. A cross section of women from the community has also protested the police presence, with calls for their withdrawal.

Furthermore, speaking at the 119^th State Executive Council meeting, the state government frowned at what it described as “discriminatory enforcement of the law and partial implementation of the rules of engagement” by security operatives deployed in Opu Nembe to restore peace and security. Ewhrudjakpo, who spoke on behalf of Diri urged the Nigeria Police to be circumspect and neutral in carrying out its law enforcement duties to avoid playing into the hands of the opposition APC which it said was not ready for a peaceful, free and fair governorship election in the state.

According to Ewhrudjakpo the security agents were quick at showing evidence of arms cache but failed to reveal the identity of a civil defence and police personnel, as well as three other youths caught with dangerous weapons believed to be working closely with one of the masterminds of the crisis.

The Bayelsa Chief Executive, therefore, appealed to the police hierarchy to pull out its Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) squad deployed to the area, emphasizing that the Joint Task Force made up of the Army, Police, Navy, Airforce, Civil Defence and DSS were capable of tackling any criminal or security threat in the state.

“It must be made clear that the state government does not promote and patronize crime and criminality but it is against the indiscriminate enforcement of the laws of the land and poor implementation of the rules by the security forces.” However, Dr Dennis Otiotio, the Chairman of APC in the state who incidentally is from the community has punctured the claims of those agitating that the policemen be withdrawn. According to him those women paraded as protesters calling for the withdrawal of the police were hired and not from the community. He said those who have witnessed the mayhem in the community would never call for the withdrawal of the police. Another group of women from the community has accused the state government of insincerity, stating that the politicisation of the crisis in the community is the root cause why the state government has been unable to solve the problem.

A former regent of the community, Chief Dr Ikanaworio Eferebo Igoma in an interview took the state government and the council of chiefs to the cleaners for attempting to mislead the public. The University lecturer insisted that the crisis in the community is not about PDP and APC, and said only a dispassionate and genuine intervention can bring about peace.

He expressed disappointment that the state government has believed the narrative of political jobbers and has refused to meet with all parties. According to him, the strident call by the state government for the withdrawal of the police smacks of mischief.

“The call for the withdrawal of the police from Opu- Nembe is unreasonable. Before now we have complained about our expulsion from the community and destruction of our houses. But nothing was done until the IGP acted on our petition and sent police operatives to the community. This is when the state government knows it can intervene. The police from Abuja should remain and ensure all those hooligans still having arms are arrested.”

Chief Jesse Ameri lamented that home values have broken down in the state because the Council of Chiefs have surrendered its independence to a cross section of youths who now dictate who gets what, how and when. As it stands, enduring peace will remain elusive in Opu- Nembe Kingdom unless all the warring parties agree to cease fire and have a frank discussion on the future of the kingdom. (Saturday Sun)

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