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The leadership of the Iduwini kingdom in Bayelsa on Wednesday dissociated themselves from the position of the militant group Iduwini Voluteer Force (IVF), especially the plan to shut down Shell Petroleum Development Company facilities in the kingdom.
The leadership of the Iduwini kingdom in Bayelsa on Wednesday dissociated themselves from the position of the militant group Iduwini Voluteer Force (IVF), especially the plan to shut down Shell Petroleum Development Company facilities in the kingdom.
The development gave Shell a moment of relief on Wednesday as the militants had threatened to shut its facilities at the expiration of a 14-day ultimatum, which expired on Wednesday.
The spokesman of the nine E.A Field communities, Chief Julius Yeiyama from Amatu 1 communities told journalists that the Iduwini Volunteer Force position does not reflect the situation on ground in the nine communities as he claimed that SPDC has executed projects contained in the controversial MOU dutifully. Yeiyama explained that the people of the nine host communities did not believe in using confrontation or threats of kidnapping or vandalising oil/gas installations to drive home their point when the need arise.
Confirming that all the projects recently published by the Shell Petroleum Development Company {SPDC} were the true positions on ground in the nine benefiting communities. He added that the IVF was not representing the interest of the Iduwini Kingdom "and therefore cannot be speaking for us."On the identity of the militants, the Ijaw Chief said "To best of my ability the name of the IVF Commander (Johnson Biboye) and his group is not known to our people and I am highly worried that the group is out to portray the people of the nine E.A field communities as violent people."
Another community leader Mr. Pius Olamiana, from neighbouring Ogbeintu community of Koa clan, one of the three clans that constitute the nine benefiting communities, said that even though Shell had tried in the implementation of the outstanding MOU but greater attention needed to be placed on indigenes employment as he observed that most of the militant grievances were usually in the areas of employment and community development