The Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) on Sunday condemned the killing of a soldier on duty at Ogbugbagbene settlement, Burutu Local Government Area of Delta State and urged the military to collaborate with community leaders to fish out those behind the act.

Mr Eric Omare, President of IYC, called on the military to exercise restraint in its bid to bring to justice those who attacked and murdered the soldier

He said: “While again condemning in the strongest terms the gruesome murder of a soldier by unknown gun men, the IYC states that the invasion, sporadic shooting and arrest of community leaders and members of the Delta and Bayelsa boundary communities is counter-productive. The current hostilities meted out to settlement along the Forcados River is not the solution to the security challenge.

“Since the unfortunate murder, communities along the Forcados River such as Bomadi, Tuomo, Tamigbe, Toru-Ndoro, Bulu-Ndoro, Ogbugbagebne, Ojobo, Torugbene, Letugbene and other communities have been under heavy military siege.

“The movement of the people has been highly restricted and economic activities paralysed.

“In Toru-Ndoro Community of Bayelsa, Mr. Suka Andy, the Community Chairman, Yerekeme H. Afamukoro, Vice Chairman, Ebikadumene Afesuku, Youth President, were arrested by military officers on Saturday evening.

“Similarly in Bulu-Ndoro Community of Delta, the Community Chairman, Miebibo Agumu, was also arrested.”

He said that troops also invaded Letugbene Community in Ekeremor Local Government Area of Bayelsa State on Sunday.

According to Omare, Miss UAC Mercy informed the IYC from Letugbene that the community has been deserted and residents now taking refuge in the bush.

“While the IYC commiserates with the Nigerian military on the loss of an officer, we call for utmost restraint in their actions and adhere strictly to the rules of engagement.

“The fundamental human rights of the residents of the Ijaw communities affected must be respected.

“The IYC does not see the basis for invading an entire community and arresting people indiscriminately in the guise of looking for suspected criminals.

“The leaders and people of the Ijaw communities should be made to collaborate with security agencies to fish out suspected criminal element rather than been made victims,” he said.

Omare observed that the idea of invading an entire community while looking for few criminal elements is strange and unacceptable and must be stop.

The IYC called on the military to stop the invasion, vacate all communities under military siege and release Ijaw community leaders under arrest to pave way for the cooperation in fishing out the criminals.

Maj. Abubakar Abudullahi, spokesman of the Joint Military Force deployed to the Niger Delta, could not be reached on telephone for comments on the development but sources said that the attack that killed a soldier was being investigated.

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