As we write more that 2,000 bodies, mostly children, women and the elderly lie lifeless and floating in the creeks of the Niger Delta. If information reaching us from local and international press and from those on ground in Nigeria’s oil-rich but poverty stricken delta since the 13th of May 2009 is anything to go by, then what is currently playing out in the creeks of the delta (Gbaramatu to be specific) can no longer be termed military onslaught against militants, but genocide. This is nothing but pure GENOCIDE against the Ijaw ethnic nationality of the Niger Delta orchestrated by the Nigerian government in collaboration with the oil multinational to exterminate the Ijaws and keep the oil flowing perpetually and unhindered. This is purely an oil war orchestrated against defenseless and hapless citizens of Gbaramatu in the name of searching for militants.
The world should know that a situation where 4 helicopter gunships, 24 gunboats and 7,000 military men are deployed to communities in peace time and in the name of fishing out criminals is a declaration of war on peaceful communities. The fact that the incident was undertaken during a festival period when the community of Oporoza was swelling with visitors, itself calls for concern from every peace-loving human on the surface of the earth.
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We want to use this medium to call on the international community to intervene in the Niger DELTA crisis to find a lasting solution to the nagging and recurring incidents of genocide that started with the shacking of Umuechem in 1990, Ogoni communities and the subsequent killing of Ken Saro-Wiwa in 1995, the razing down of Odi, Opia and Ikenyan in 1999, Odioma 2005, Agge in 2008 and now Gbaramatu clan. It is high time the international community took a decisive step towards the resolution of the Niger Delta crisis to forestall further lose of enormous lives and property.
We also want to use this medium to appeal to the warring factions to sheath the swords and embrace peace and dialogue in the resolution of the crisis.
More importantly, the international community should for the sake of humanity impress it on the Nigeria military to allow for food and medical facility passage to the troubled communities. This is due to the fact the lack of food and medical supply will exacerbate the condition thereby leading to more deaths due to hunger and the lack of medication. Therefore, we call on the Nigerian National Emergency Agency and the Red Cross to please brace up and rescue the situation urgently.
Signed for Concerned Ijaws in the USA
Elias Courson
Rotary World Peace Fellow (2008-10),
University of California, Berkeley, USA
Joel Bisina
Conflict Management and Community Development Expert
Arlington Virginia, USA
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