The Military Joint Task Force (JTF) operating in Rivers State yesterday morning raided cultists hide outs in the creeks of the state, killing 15 of them in the process. The flash point was Tombia, in Degema Local Government Area, said to be the haven of the cultists.
This is the first time the JTF will go into the creeks in pursuit of the cultists who fought against it in Port Harcourt for nearly two weeks. The Public Relations Officer of the JTF, Major Sagir Musa who confirmed the raid refused to comment on casualty figures.
The JTF which stormed Okrika in search of cultists last week, was said to have moved towards Iwofe jetty on Thursday evening before the eventual raid in Tombia in the early hours of yesterday.
The JTF on landing in Tombia, immediately went in search of cultists and ammunition in the town reputed for the high level circulation of arms and ammunition.
THISDAY gathered that the soldiers recovered a lot of
sophisticated weapons while they scoured the town for cult members most of whom were said to have taken to their heels on learning of the soldiers arrival.
Among the early victims of the raid were bunkerers who did not know that the raid party was on. Those of them caught with arms were immediately shot, while those without arms were arrested.
Asked to comment of the raid, Musa only replied, �It is part of the JTF operation which is ongoing in the state, I am yet to be briefed on arrests and casualties, so I cannot comment on that now.�
The raid in Tombia came on the day mothers in Port Harcourt came out to condemn the cultists. The Mothers, under the aegis of �Mothers of Niger Delta� disowned all the cultists, saying the cultists were not their children.
The group�s President, Mrs. Eunice Igwe said what the cultists did was out of tune with the expectations and value system of their own children, insisting that the people who carried out the attacks were �misguided, miscreants, cultists and criminals.�
The mothers who expressed support for the action of the JTF and the government of the state in tackling the cultists, also appealed to residents of the city to cooperate with government �because it is better to suffer the inconveniences people are complaining about than to live under the constant sound of gunfire.�
�These persons are not and cannot be our children. This is because what they did is completely out of character with the true and well bred children and people of the Niger Delta. Our children are not murderers and are respectful to constituted authority. We therefore disown them and dissociate ourselves and all the true children of Rivers State and Niger Delta from them and their children,� Igwe said.
The women charged Governor Celestine Omehia not to leave any stone unturned in ensuring that the bad elements who stole the peace of the town are not spared as he is doing well in containing them.
Igwe who was flanked by other members, castigated the Ijaw elders for calling for the imposition of a state of emergency in the state, saying, �these people do not speak the voice of the Ijaw people. They are on their own and are pursuing their private political agenda.�
In a related development, the Minister of Interior, Mr. Godwin Abe, has stressed that the return of peace to the Niger Delta region was a precursor to its development, pointing out that the Federal Government would separate genuine agitators from criminals.
The Minister who paid his first official visit outside Abuja to Port Harcourt said the Federal Govenrment would not compromise the peace of the region whose people, he admitted, had a right to agitate for better living standards within the confines of the constitution.
�People have a right to agitate but the approach has to be right. We have to separate agitation from criminality. We are committed to ensuring peace, not only in this region, but in all parts of the country as it is only under a peaceful atmosphere that development can take place,� he said.
According to Abe, the federal government will officially re-introduce road blocks that the former Inspector General of Police, Mr. Sunday Ehindero had banned. He, however, pointed out that the police would be re-orientated so as not to turn the road blocks into extortion points.
Abe promised to provide a reasonable welfare scheme for the police to be imbued with dignity, adding that all the problems of the police and other parastatals under him would be adequately addressed for efficiency.
�Time may come for us to establish road blocks that people are criticizing. In criticizing them, please be polite. Also, the police have to be polite to Nigerians. Make sure people are treated like human beings. Asking for gratifications at road blocks should stop. We will provide what will help you carry out your duties with dignity,� he charged.
He said that the ministry was working out a post retirement scheme that would stop people from being scared of retirement but look forward to it, as all they need would be provided in due time.
Aug252007