Posted by By Femi Folaranmi, Yenagoa on
The Umbugbene community, in Soutern Ijaw Local Government Area of Bayelsa State and the Joint Military Task (JTF) in the Niger Delta are at each other's throats over allegations of invasion in which six children are reported missing and 12 other youths wounded.
The Umbugbene community, in Soutern Ijaw Local Government Area of Bayelsa State and the Joint Military Task (JTF) in the Niger Delta are at each other's throats over allegations of invasion in which six children are reported missing and 12 other youths wounded.
While the Umbugbene community is pointing fingers at the JTF, code named Operation Restore Hope, for the invasion, which it said was engineered by Daewoo Construction Company, the commander of JTF in Bayelsa, Lt. Col Chris Musa, has distanced his men from the invasion. The commander said the military's hands were clean as his men never attacked anybody in the village but only rescued Daewoo staff from armed youths who attempted to kidnap them.
Consequently, he has challenged the community to produce one wounded member of the community as evidence of brutality.
The traditional ruler of Umbugbene, Chief A. P Taylor, in a statement in Yenagoa, accused the JTF of invading the community over an ensuing disagreement on the issue of diesel the community requested for the Christmas celebrations.
According to him, soldiers stormed the community around noon on Sunday and beat the community's youth president to coma.
Taylor said that six children are yet to be found since after the invasion, as all efforts by a search party to located have been futile.
Musa admitted that his men were around the vicinity of the community on Sunday, but he was quick to explain that they never entered the community.
He explained that the community's claims were falsehood aim at whipping sentiments to cover the criminal act of some of the youths of the community who engage in bunkering and kidnapping.
He noted that his men received a signal that some armed youths were attempting to snatch a barge conveying pipes meant for the gas project and his men went there to frustrate the plot.
He said: 'My men reacted and went to the troubled area with a gun boat. While getting closer, they heard shots being fired at them and they shot into the air because they could not locate their attacker nor was the shots close.
'We recovered the Daewoo staff and the barge. As I told you before, my men are not mad. These people are only using the media to intimidate us for them to ask for compensation. The Niger Delta peace committee man, James Jephthan, had called me on the issue and I told him to ask the community to bring forward one wounded member of the community for us to believe."