The Ijaw Youths Council (IYC) Worldwide has derided the Governor of Delta State, Sheriff Oborevwori, for abandoning the humanitarian crisis in Okuama, Ughelli, where soldiers were killed by unknown persons.

A Spokesman of the IYC, Bedford Berefa, in a statement also said the governor of failing to use his position to resolve the crisis in the area until it escalated into a bloodbath.

Berefa wondered why the governor, who had been denied access to Okuama, had not seen it as his responsibility to set up camps for the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) of the community.

He said Oborevwor had refused to press the expected humanitarian button despite reports that the residents of the area were trapped in bushes because of the ongoing military operations in Okuama.

Berefa said: “Many of the displaced people of Okuama trapped in bushes have been crying out for help. They are languishing in hunger and starvation and enduring inclement weather.

“We heard of the oldest person of Okuama begging for help but we have not heard of or seen any action initiated by Governor Sheriff Oborevwori to address the ongoing humanitarian crisis.

“We are calling on the governor to move immediately and set up an IDP camp either in Ughelli town or Asaba to protect these traumatized citizens until it becomes safe for them to return to their seized ancestral land.

“As IYC we are worried over the non-chalance of the governor and his trivialising of the humanitarian issues resulting from the Okuama killings.

We believe that the governor has not shown leadership in this regard and we are calling on him to act now”.

Berefa observed that the humanitarian crisis had spread to neighbouring Ijaw communities following military operations in search of culprits.

He said: “The incident has spread to ijaw communities where the military launched operations in search of culprits. This has worsened the humanitarian crisis”. (The Nation)

Update news