Skip to main content

World Environment Day: Police Boss Disrupt Protest, Arrest Jim George, Others

June 6, 2011

Every June 5, the United Nations (UN) sets it aside to encourage discussions about environmental issues and political actions, aimed at reducing threats faced by the environment. This year’s world environment day celebration  falls on a Sunday (yesterday), perhaps, given that most inhabitants of the  southern part of Nigeria are predominantly Christians. Foremost environmental / human rights groups around the Niger Delta region of Nigeria, chose today, Monday June 6, 2011, to commemorate the day with a cocktails of protests.

googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('content1'); });

googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('content2'); });

Every June 5, the United Nations (UN) sets it aside to encourage discussions about environmental issues and political actions, aimed at reducing threats faced by the environment. This year’s world environment day celebration  falls on a Sunday (yesterday), perhaps, given that most inhabitants of the  southern part of Nigeria are predominantly Christians. Foremost environmental / human rights groups around the Niger Delta region of Nigeria, chose today, Monday June 6, 2011, to commemorate the day with a cocktails of protests.

In Rivers State, the Southernmost part of Nigeria,  vocal environmental groups like the Centre for Environment, Human rights and Development (CEHRD), Social and Economic Rights Action Centre (SERAC) and Social Action (SA) in conjunction with waterfront neighbourhood groups staged a non-violent procession, to dissent the locating  of private petroleum  tank farms in  poor people’s residential areas. At about 11:00pam today, activists of the above radical environmental groups staged the protest from the Abonema Wharf  community, west of Port Harcourt, the capital of Rivers State to the spot of the tank farm is about 5 metres away, the campaigners carrying placards with various  inscriptions “ Living with Petroleum tank farm is hell”, We need amenities, not petroleum Tank farm”, Let the world come to our aid” at about 1:30pm were attached by the acing divisional police officer of the Mile 1 Police Station, Mr. Samuel and Mr. C. W Enwefah, the Secretary-General of National Union of tenants of Nigeria (NUTN) and hordes of fierce-looking thugs and heavily armed policemen acting on the order of the tank farm owner and the Rivers State government disrupted the procession, tore the banners into pieces, and  arrested Tom George, a courageous, selfless and honest community activist and also other Abonema Wharf community folks were arrested too, as  at the time of this report, their whereabouts remained unknown. Comrade Celestine Akpobari, a Programme officer of the Social Action, one of the arrowheads of the anti-farm protest told SaharaReporters. How you site a dangerous project like tank farm in a residential area, do they want to wipe us out? We were there to register our anger at such a death-dispensing project. The police led by Samuel and thugs led by Enwefah, our renegade Comrade. He used to be with us but was bought over and is an informant to the tank farm owners and Rivers State government came and unleashed violence on us. This is criminal and condemnable. We call on all people of conscience all over the world to come to our aid. We are dying. George and others kidnapped must be released. We will continue to protest until justice is given to us.

While Steyvn Obodoekwe, head of the Human Rights Programme of CEHRD described the arrest of the housing rights activist as “This is inhumanity to human. The arrest reminds us of the dark days of the military junta of Babangida and Abacha. This must stop”.

Our correspondent contacted DPO Samuel on his Mobile phone over the matter, speaking, the local police boss said, “ we learnt that they were holding a  rally and they were supposed to inform us so that we can offer them protection, they didn’t do that, however, the matter is not a serious one, we shall released them”.



 

googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('comments'); });