Relocation of Amaechi’s Military Camp To Ogoniland: Police Kill 2, Irate Youths Retaliate On Senior Government Official

photo curtesy of google
By SaharaReporters, New York

Attempts to smuggle the Bori Camp Military Barracks, which houses the Second Amphibious Brigade in Port Harcourt into the overcrowded Ogoni territory yesterday claimed two victims, and led to the death of a top government official

Early on Sunday morning, June 12, heavily armed policemen attached to Mr. Job Legbara Johnson Nkpai, the acting director of administration of the Niger Delta Basin Development Authority (NDBDA) randomly shot dead two youths (Goteh Keenam and Dambani Kuenu), of the Sogho community in the Khana Local Government Area of Ogoni. Enraged community youths then set fire to the house of the NDBDA boss, which claimed his life.

Saharareporter’s investigations revealed that trouble started today, following the relentless protests in the wake of the Bori camp proposal. Chiefs, elders and youths of the Sogho community convened at the request of Mr. Nkpai, to try to convince the villagers to accept the relocating of the controversial military facility in their community.

When the meeting commenced and Nkpai introduced the topic and the irate villagers in attendance started shouting at the top of their voices, telling him to keep quiet, as he had not done anything to help their community. Some of them argued that in spite of his high position in the government and despite the contracts given to him to provide services for the community, he had failed to do so and instead, embezzled their money.

In the uproar, the police attached to him fired their guns at two of the youths, killing them instantly.
Angered by the arbitrary shooting of the helpless youths, some of them attacked Mr. Nkpai’s regal country home in the community, and with the man inside it, set fire to the property.

 Saharareporters sent SMS messages to the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) in the state, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), Benjamin Ugwegbulam, but he never responded to them. However, a member of the Nkpai family who pleaded anonymity told Sahara Reporters that the action was a reprisal attack by a cult group, whose member was shot dead earlier by the police, who was invited by the community that killed Job Nkpai. This account contradicts those of many eyewitnesses who spoke to this publication.

The Governor Rotimi Chubuike Amaech Government in Rivers State, in his emblematic attitude, has ignored the cries of the poor Ogoni natives protesting the relocation of the military cantonment to the their territory.
 The government only surveyed over 100 hectares of agricultural land in Okwale, Sogho, and Kaani in the Khana Local Government and Korokoro in the Tai Local Governmnet Area, all in the Ogoni territory, for the proposed military project.

Since then, thousands of peaceful activists armed only with placards and leaf branches have staged peaceful protests in and outside the area for the past three weeks,

The idea of relocating the military camp to Ogoni was suggested in the early days of Amaechi’s assumption of office as the state governor. He is said to have blackmailed and threatened the Ogonis serving in his government to accept the proposal or be sacked. Among others are, Magnus Ngei Abbe, the then secretary to the government and is now in the Senate, representing the Rivers East Senatorial District; Barry Mpigi, the then chairman of Tai Local Government Area, and now in the Federal House of Representatives, representing Oyigbo/Tai/ Eleme constituency; and Victor Giadom, ex-chairman of the Gokana Local Government Area, proposed to be the Rivers State Commissioner of Works, were at the forefront of the Bori camp project with Amaechi.

The governor suspected the plan, and concentrated on his re-election struggle. It is alleged that the reason behind the relocation of the military base camp to the Ogoni territory is because some Ikwerre elites, including the governor, plan to share the land on which the Bori Camp is currently situated, among themselves.

Commenting on the relocation issue, Legborsi Pygbara, the international advocacy officer of the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP), said, “ I have spoken at various United Nations sessions on this. It is illegal to site a military base in Ogoniland. Ogoni is an indigenous territory.”

Article 30 and 32 of the United Nation’s Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous peoples does not sanction the actions of the local government. If the government attempts to do this, it means it will fight the UN, which it can’t afford to.”

Similarly, Comrade Emmanuel Monday Aluzim, a resident of Sogho and a relentless MOSOP campaigner whose activism dates back to the days of Ken Saro-Wiwas’ leadership, vowed to fight against the project. “Our struggle is a non-violent one,” he said, “I condemn the state and non-state violence that took place today.”

Aluzim stated that despite the provocation, the non-violent nature of their protest would continue, but warned that Amaechi cannot relocate the military project into Ogoni territory. “Since he likes the military, who murdered our people, raped our women and looted our properties, he should take it to his Ikwerre village. If he tries that nonsense with us, he will meet his waterloo this time around. We are assuring him. If they take the lands over 4, 000 people will be homeless and hungry. Please tell him not to try it with us. We were [already] freedom fighters when he was still in his mother’s womb,” the angry Ogoni campaigner said in anger.

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Ogoni Mistakes

Ogoni was simply penny wise pound foolish.They failed mathematics durring the civil war and now Danjuma and the whole country is feeding on their oil and killing their People and environment something an Igboman would not have done cos he values good environment and Ogoni is at his back yard.Besides we have oil

Hello, Great blogging you

Hello, Great blogging you have here! Also your web site loads up fast! Which helps a lot. Please keep up your gratifying work. Thanks.
Regards,
moving cross country

Ogoni land of peace

Ogoni a land ful wit milk and honey as trun wat God know federal government should look into dis matter of oil polluting their land and do something very fast,if dy don went peple to die in many

HOW LONG WILL NIGERIANS KEEP LOOKING LIKE LOOKMAN?

I KEEP SAYING THIS: LET THESE BOYS RETREAT TO THEIR ABODE, PLAN A STRATEGY THAT WILL ELIMINATE ANY AND ALL GOVERNMENT OFFICIAL THAT HAVE BEEN AMONG THE EMBEZLERS OF THEIR REVENUE SICE 1960 UP UNTILL 2011. THAT IS THE ONLY SOLUTION TO THIS OPPRESSION AND SUBJUGATION BY THEIR SOCALLED LEADERS OR OPPRESSORS.

the ibos were grasping at

the ibos were grasping at straws when they made port-harcouth their capital. Port-harcourth is not ibo. its like saying because babangida's wife mariam made asaba the capital of delta state makes delta stae an ibo enclave.

SenatorUK or whatever you

SenatorUK or whatever you brandished yourself, I think your are lacking in thought and should probably find a night school to restart your life so you can actually live. what economic gains carrying a military base to Ogoni land? you speak like a fool, I really pray you are a teenager otherwise, your days are short.

It should rather be relocated

It should rather be relocated to your own place. If the Ogonis do not want such development then what is your concern. why are you making it synonymous with Bori. were you there when they named Bori camp. Stop the the absurd talk.

Jonathan, PLSE NAME YOUR MINISTERS AND FORM CABINET!!

What sort of slow start is this. Any further delay will put Nigeria at risk of collapse. For over two years now, nothing is happening because of election. Nearly two months after the election no government formed. What sort od nonsense and irresponsibility is this????

my friend target ur hatred on

my friend target ur hatred on Ameachi not d hausas. D nigerian army established d camp in bori, it is ikwere dat want it in ogoni, so good luck wit ur support 4 d ogonis, hausa no de dis fight

Why is Nigeria government so

Why is Nigeria government so heartless and disrespectful to the Ogoni people, what's really going on with all these unnecessary killings of poor people!
If Nigeria is a federation of ethnic nationalities, then every ethnic group should be treated equally the same on every issues that have to do with them. A situation where group like the Ogonis treated differently from other ethnic groups is another way of telling them they are not welcome in Nigeria.
This people are being treated poorly from all corners.
At the state level you have an Ikwerre man, who allied himself with the Southeast as cousins, a vicious enemy of the Ogonis as the governor of a state in which the Ogonis are said to be part of. This is a governor who controls so much power and money that he roars around and behaved like an emperor.

This must be protected by the UN!!

At the federal level, you have a federal government who suppose to call this out of control governor to order but find out they are all in alliance; treating Ogoniland like a colonized territory. At the same time you have Multinational oil companies scheming from underground; working in alliance with these governments to lock this indigenous territory in a box for use.
The question then is who is really protecting this indigenous group from these vicious and power predators that build a network of alliance around their very existence? Who look out for them, for their continuous existence as an indigenous minority in an aptly lawless society?

Time to reflect: Ogonis were never slaves.

It is time to let Ameachi and his cohorts know that Ogonis were never enslaved by any tribe or group. The vision of the Ogonis always goes beyond the myopia of her oppressors. That is why they always survive against all odds. During the colonia period, the Ogonis were the last tribe to be subjugated under colonial rule. Ogonis resisted its dominance by the rampaging Biafran soldiers. They resisted shell, Abacha and Ada George. Obasanjo and Odili tried all their tricks to no avail. Ameachi will be defeated. He needs to be reminded that no matter how many chiefs, government officials and praise singers he bribes to get his way, it will all come to nought. Ten more years will not be enough for him. If an army barrack is that great, why not take it somewhere else? The Ogonis do not want it period. We shall defeat Ameachi again. Ogonis are not Okrikans.

Tell them!

Tell them!

@ IGBO MAN .......NA UR TURN

Ken Saro Wiwa once attended Ohanaeze meeting at Enugu on behalf of his ethnic group to apologose to Ndiigbo for the role his people played during the Biafra war.Igbo leaders accepted the apology and resolved to forgive them but not to forget it- - being part of our history.The Ogonis are our friends and neighbours, Igbos and Ogonis have common enemies-Hausa/Fulani lords. Our pains are Ogoni pains, our oppressors are Ogoni oppressors. We Igbos shall do our utmost to free ourselves and the minorities from Hausa/Fulani neo-colonialism and suppressions. Umu Oke,-Germany

Please send this woman away Mrs. Gladys Modupe Quist-Adebiyi

Dear Mr.President,Mrs. Gladys Modupeola Quist Adebiyi who is Minister Head of Chancery, Economic and Trade Matters.Has left her job at the Nigeria Embassy in Malaysia as Minister incharge of Trade and Investment to issue of Passport.This woman have introduced a dagerous law at the Embassy which has sent almost 1900 of our citizens to jail in Malaysia,how can this woman introduce a law stating that no one who lost his or her passport will never be issued new one when passport is being produce at the Embassy? How can this woman take Embassy job as her own personal business,knowing the situation of this country we are in how can she deny people who lost their passport the opportunity to get new one instead she ask the fellow to go back to Nigeria ,in this process,about 1900 Nigerians have been jailed here,is this the type of wicked woman that will over see our national in a foreign land?majority of Nigeria here about 99.9% do not like her dirty attitude.

Let Peace Reign!!!

In modern civilization, if a tribe is hostile to her neghbors or other tribes, it has more to loose than gain and at the end of it all, her Children will even loose the land which they think they are protecting.
My advice is that the Ogonis should find unbiased wisemen from their kindred who should be entrusted to lay a plan for the development of Ogoniland for future generation and pride of the people. Let peace reign in the Region.

CIVILIZATION?

The Ogoni people should know that in modern technology, you do not need to be in Ogoniland to drill the oil in Ogoniland. There horizontal drilling thirty kilometers and even more. So, we do not need to be in Ogoniland to suck the liquid or gaseous hydrocarbon deposite there. The "Deltans who despite or claim that the Iboman is a nightmare should thank their God that they have as neighbor, a mighty think tank and relentless worker like the Ibos around them. Those who sew seed of disccord and used divide and rule system caused more devastation to the Delta people than they could imagine. Why all these militancy in the Niger Delta? Do not forget that "PORTHACOURT WAS THE CAPITAL OF BIAFRA!!!!!!" What has the Ibo man done wrong?

Bori Camp back to Bori

The name is Bori Camp, so they should go back to Bori and camp there. It's a welcome idea for the barrack to move back from its origin, i.e. Bori camp. I guess they will shut up whhen they start exploiting the economic gains associated with the barrack.

Amaechi's military cantonment in Ogoniland!!

Ogoniland has become the slaughtering ram for Nigeria to survive because they have no power and influence like other ethnic groups , federal government of Nigeria have no sympathy at all for the suffering of the Ogoni people in Nigeria. Development of impoverished people such as the Ogoni is no relocation of military cantonment to already congested place, a place known to be one of the most densely populated areas in Nigeria

Ogoni Soldiers.

It's time my Ogoni brothers have a rethink on this issue.
It's also time we remember that we also have Ogoni sons serving the Nigerian Armed Forces. we ought to remember that our own sons are not serving in the air. they are on some other people's teritory.
Enough is Enough.

Bori Camp Palava

Can somebody please enlighthened me. I thought the military is under the federal government, how then can the Governor and some of his cabinet members plan to relocate the military cantonment with the sole aim of sharing the present land after the military moved out. I think that the issue of relocation of any military barack in Nigeria should be the responsibility of the federal government.Sahara reppotrs should please clearify this.

Where Is Kerosene, Jonathan?

Poor Nigerians have no ordinary kerosene to cook in a country the sixth-largest producer of crude oil. Jonathan Goodluck! Watin dey happen self, for Nigeria? Which kind yawa be all this? Is it the same people that voted for you or what?

Monkey dey work baboon dey wack! One day monkey go, go market E no go come back.

rig2015electionyoudie@rocketmail.com

 

Relocate the Army and Nevy to pre-war bases....

Something historic must end Military occupation of lands in Eastern Region.Occupation army base in Ogoniland is a calculated measure to fizzle out already split up MOSOP, in a corrupt reactor government. Ogoni's fertile lands, already annexed and polluted have no thriving eco-system but pollutants for Ogoni people to eat, drink and inhale .Northern Generals conspired a strategy to make Ogoniland a trap ,the indigenes to look like rats in a trap by establishing a military base on their soil. Must Ogonis allow this to happen? Ogoni quislings in govts sell their fatherland for a price and a position in Nijagovernment. Will GEJ sell us to our common enemy, Hausa -Fulanis like this ?
Umu Oke,- Germany.

SH, i didn't bother reading

SH, i didn't bother reading the rest of your story when the first paragraph stated "over crowded Ogoni territory".
As a port harcourt resident, i know that both Bori camp and the Airforce based located right in the middle of Port harcourt takes up a huge land space in the city. The Army barracks alone has in it a shooting range so you can imagine the land mass. Also, i am not in the military but i know all barracks were built to be outside of town, at the time these barracks were built, they fulfilled that condition. What has happened now is that development has caught up and overtaken these barracks now positioning them right in the middle of town.
I think the barracks should be relocated, if the Ogonis are not interested, maybe it should be moved to my village in Anambra state, i know the amount of commerce and development it will bring along with it!!!

INSORTATION AGAIN

The vision of relocation, is very bad, why Ogoni? Why military camp? is an insort, There are other project that can developed the area not Barrack.

LETS BE TOGETHER.

TIME WAS WHEN MAN LIVED IN THE STONE AGE. THAT TIME PASSED NOT BECAUSE THERE WAS SCARCITY OF OF STONES OR ROCKS BUT TECHNOLOGY AND DEVELOPMENT MOVED ON. NOW WE ARE IN THE ERA OF BLACK GOLD AND OIL AGE AND PEOPLE ARE BRINGING ALL FORM OF EXCUSES TO BE SELFISH INCLUDING VERY PLAUSIBLE ONES.WE SHOULD KNOW THAT AS THE STONE AGE PASSED ON WITHOUT THE SCARCITY OF STONES THE OIL AGE WILL PASS ON WITHOUT THE SCARCITY OF FOSSILS. LET IMBIBE THE SPIRIT OF TOLERANCE AND TOGETHERNESS AND NOT THIS SPIRIT OF MINE, MINE AND ME ME ME!

Land matter

if you guys do not have even a small land to host a battalion, you better start thinking of one child per family now.

We don't it.

All i know is that, if army base is a welcome development, Gov. Amaechi should take it to his own community. In ogoni, we don't want another moment of tears from neither the military, state or federal govt. Besides, the say bori camp is a federal property. Gov. Amaechi, put your leg in ogoni's shoe and see how fitting it will be. We don't want it.

Relocation Bori Military Barrack

Whose duty to carry out the relocation of the bori camp is it the Federal gov. or the State Gov?.If it is the duty of the Federal gov. Governor Amaechi has no business with the relocation.I am confussed about the rulership in Nigeria on who is doing what. I think every thing in Nigeria is been done upsidedown.

When did Army matters become

When did Army matters become the responsibility of State Governors? No amount of blackmail will derail Governor Amaechi. Saharareporters should continue with their trademark but one thing I know is that Governor Amaechi will not give them a dime which is what they real want.

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