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The burning, destruction, complete razing of Okerenkoko, Oporoza, Kunukunuma, Peretorukorigbene, Kurutieand many other communities and the killing and maiming of innocent people including women and children amount to systemic annihilation of an ethnic race and this is simply genocide.It therefore deserves international condemnation....Read the full article.

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The important items missing in all of the above condemnations include oil-bunkering, the sheltering of kidnapping thugs and oil bunkerers by Ijaw communities, the condemnation of Ijaw elders and rulers for being visionless, ethnic bigots and being utterly corrupt.

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=Robot;357379>The burning, destruction, complete razing of Okerenkoko, Oporoza, Kunukunuma, Peretorukorigbene, Kurutieand many other communities and the killing and maiming of innocent people including women and children amount to systemic annihilation of an ethnic race and this is simply genocide.It therefore deserves international condemnation....Read the full article.

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This is one sided supplication without the absolute truth. How easily these so called elders have forgotten the kidnapping by the militant, the raping of unwilling victims, distruction of public properties, attack on military personnel and so on.

Here is what led to the final raid on the militants:

How militants tortured soldiers to death

“Prior to this, an NNPC chartered tanker CM Spirit had been hijacked with its foreign crew and some Nigerians on board. This vessel was run aground by the militants, who also stole some of its cargo while the crew members were tortured leading to the death of some of the crew members and the rest held hostage.

“JTF Search and Rescue team sent to free the hostages was attacked again by the militants. The search led to the discovery of a large cache of illegal arms and ammunition used for acts of criminality. It must be noted that at no time were members of the JTF aggressors, in fact, the JTF is only allowed the use of force in self defence or where arrest of a criminal is being resisted. Moreover, extra care is taken to reduce collateral damage to the barest”.
Continuing Jemitola said, “instead, what we have observed is the deliberate and repeated unprovoked attacks on JTF troops, the sabotage of oil and gas facilities, the kidnapping for ransom of people and the killing of innocent citizens of the society including children, people of the clergy and very old citizens.

“It is important to note that the Nigerian military has the constitutional responsibility of protecting our vital national interests wherever they may be. In the course of carrying out this responsibility, the military will no longer tolerate or watch criminal gangs slaughter its personnel


Those who sow rubbish must not expect to reap good seed at harvest time. You reap what you sow.

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It is rather unfortunate that a genuine, sincere struggle by a people, who have been deprived and made pauperised by the wealth in their own backyard, could be turned into a business making venture. The Niger-Deltans need to come to a round table conference and re-draw and re-positioned their demands and strategy. From the unfolding events, it is quite clear that their genuine demand and strategy has either been hijacked or infiltrated by agents of the STATE. It happens in sincere struggles but the ability to sift the chaff from the corn is of paramount importance in struggles of this nature. The Niger-Deltans should therefore look inwards and try as much as possible to remove the BLACK SHEEPS and planted MOLES in their midst.

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Those who sow rubbish must not expect to reap good seed at harvest time. You reap what you sow

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Pathetic! It is unfortunate the way some people make good sense when defending what they constreu as theirs while sounding parochial once the victims come frome "afar"..Although some Ijaws may reason like you when discussing issues elsewhere, it is still not enough reason to sarcastically dismiss the bombing to death of grand fathers, mothes and grand children for no other reason other than the fact that they happen to be at the wrong place at the wrong time..To start with, the resorces you are bombing to appriopriate is not yours so you dont have the higher moral impetus to kill all in a bid to acquire that!

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http://www.saharareporters.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2791:re-branding-genocide&catid=114:press-releases&Itemid=362

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Re-Branding Genocide and Yar'adua's 7-Point Agenda for the Niger Delta Region

Tuesday, 19 May 2009 19:14 By The Gender Coalition Against Genocide (GAG)


http://www.saharareporters.com/images/stories/article-images/Yaradua_at_PDP_convention.jpg

Umaru Yar'adua


Yar adua in his maiden speech stated clearly that the ‘Niger Delta’ will be a priority in his seven point reform agenda, but two years down the line what activities has he carried out to show this interest in the region that feeds the rest of the nation. what strategy has he employed to rekindle peace, justice and development in the oil rich but neglected and poverty ridden Niger Delta?

We recall with pains and disappointment how he has shown no ability, will power or commitment to implement his over advertised and pointless 7 point agenda. Watching the clip of his administrations efforts in the Niger Delta triggers off disgust in the average citizen who finds lies offensive. In two years against our disapproval of any kind of summit, talks, conferences, or seminars as a means of solving the Niger Delta equation. We knew that, it was a planned diversionary strategy by the government to waste our money, energy and time. Yet, he set up a technical committee, who worked tenaciously against all odds, and have since submitted a report/recommendation which like the Uwais electoral reform white paper will have another committee to review their recommendations based on reviews. What a reviewing administration? He has set up a Ministry of Niger Delta and provided it with 50billion Naira same amount allocated for the revamping of Arewa Textile Mill. 50billion Naira with clear instructions on how to spend N39b, leaving the minister with the horrible task of spliting 11b amongst the needs of nine states, same underfunding strategy used in incapacitating the NDDC. The systematic removal of all ministerial powers from “on the paper” minister of state for petroleum, Odein Ajumogobia and simply using his name as a pacifier.
To further proof this priority commitment Yar dua has sacked Agge community in Bayelsa State, hometown of Patrick Azazi, and now five communities in Gbaramatu kingdom of Delta State; Okerenkoko, Oporoaza, Kunukunuma, kurutie, kokodiagbene under the guise of getting rid of militants, militant groups and camps and avenging 12 dead JTF officers and releasing kidnapped oil workers(oil thieves).


There have been series of crises in Jos, Plateau State, the home state of Brigadier General Wuyep Rimtip, the Assistant Commandant of the JTF who has been instrumental to the genocide being carried out in the Gbaramatu kingdom of Delta state. Over three hundred persons killed with thousands more feared death in Jos, yet there has been no signal to send in any arm of the military to Jos. Is this because there is no oil in the state? Or that no soldier has been killed? Or that the dead are not militants?


As women of the region we have watched quietly this deceit and injustice of killing our sons and husbands, the raping and debasing of our young daughters and the abuses of our culture and very being by the JTF and Federal Government. We have prayed, fasted and hoped that someday peace, justice and development will come to us however, the Nigerian state presents us no option but to like the American leader Patrick Henry demand “Give me liberty or give me death”


We have read the various lies in the papers and are alarmed by the lies being traded and call on all well meaning Nigerians to join our cry in saving our communities from these gruesome murderers, Oporoza is our home not a militant camp, so is Kunukunuma, Ekerenkoko, Kokodiagbene, Kurutie we are Gbaramatu people. JTF is killing innocent people, women and children and branding them militants. SAVE US NOW! This is a repeat of the Obasanjo’s 1999 ODI destruction! THIS IS GENOCIDE

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RE-BRANDING THE SEVEN POINT AGENDA WITH NIGER DELTA AS A PRIORITY

1: SET UP A TECHNICAL COMMITTEE TO REVIEW REVIEWS BY ALL COMMITTEES FROM WILLINKS COMMISSION TILL DATE.

2: APPOINT A RECOMMENDATION REVIEW COMMITTEE TO REVIEW THE RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE TECHNICAL COMMITTEE.

3: CREATE THE NIGER DELTA MINISTRY

4: FUND THE MINISTRY WITH THE SAME AMOUNT AS AREWA TEXTILE MILL

5: DISEMPOWER ALL NIGER DELTA SONS AND DAUGHTERS IN GOVERNMENT AND USE THEIR NAMES AS PACIFIERS

6: REBRAND ALL NIGER DELTANS GOVERNORS, MINISTERS, ELDERS, TRADITIONAL RULERS, ACADEMIA, WOMEN, CHILDREN, AGED et al ”MILITANTS”.

7: WIPE OUT THE NIGER DELTA STARTING WITH GBARAMATU GENOCIDE

CONGRATULATIONS "MR PRESIDENT" FOR SUCCESSFULLY ACHIEVING YOUR SEVEN POINT AGENDA IN YOUR FIRST TWO YEARS

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Issued by the GENDER COALITION AGAINST GENOCIDE, gag4nd@gmail.com

The Gender Coalition Against Genocide (GAG) is made up of female human rights activists in the Niger Delta. GENDER COALITION AGAINST GENOCIDE (GAG)



Issued by the GENDER COALITION AGAINST GENOCIDE, gag4nd@gmail.com

The Gender Coalition Against Genocide (GAG) is made up of female human rights activists in the Niger Delta. GENDER COALITION AGAINST GENOCIDE (GAG)

PRESS STATEMENT

signed:
Irene Tuoyo - Delta state
Ekaete Eyo - Cross Rivers state
Emem Okon - Akwa Ibom State
Unity Ototo - Bayelsa State
Hilda Dokubo - Rivers State
Imaguero Idahosa - Edo State
Annkio Briggs - Ijaw
Uroma Amaechi - Ikwerre
Azuka Ezekwem - Aniocha
Inyene Sylva - NGO
Victory Igho - Urhobo
Carol Usen- Ibeno
Enyinna Blessing - Iko
Eunice Okpor - Isoko
Dora Aju Ukku - Itsekiri
Regina Akhimien - Ishan

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Terrorism and counter terrorisms. The battle for the control of Oil in Nigeria continues.

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=felix;357418>Pathetic! It is unfortunate the way some people make good sense when defending what they constreu as theirs while sounding parochial once the victims come frome "afar"..Although some Ijaws may reason like you when discussing issues elsewhere, it is still not enough reason to sarcastically dismiss the bombing to death of grand fathers, mothes and grand children for no other reason other than the fact that they happen to be at the wrong place at the wrong time..To start with, the resorces you are bombing to appriopriate is not yours so you dont have the higher moral impetus to kill all in a bid to acquire that!

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While I would be the last person to condone the slaughter of innocent civilians, I also know that you cannot make omelettes without breaking eggs. That is what in military parlance is called collateral damage which is an euphemism for the murder of those in the line of fire in a military action.

It is unfortunate that a genuine struggle for justice has been hijacked by scoundrels (but isn't that the story of Nigeria?). The total breakdown of law and order was always going to be an invitation to full fledged military action. What was not certain was when it would be.

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Ijaw People’s Association of Great Britain & Ireland and
Bayelsa State Union of Great Britain & Ireland


20/5/09

Joint Press Statement


THE GOVERNMENT OF NIGERIA AND ITS ACTS OF GENOCIDE & TERROR AGAINST THE PEOPLE OF THE NIGER DELTA

The Ijaw People’s Association and Bayelsa State Union, all of Great Britain and Ireland are greatly concerned about the reports reaching us that the Nigerian Armed Forces in the form of the Joint Task Force (JTF) for the Niger Delta is attacking and invading a number of towns and villages in Warri South Local Government Area of Delta State Nigeria, from Wednesday 13 up till now, Thursday 21 May 2009. These towns and villages comprise of Oporoza and satellite villages of Gbaranmatu kingdom in the said local government area. We are greatly alarmed and shocked, because the attacks and invasion with the attendant destruction of lives and property were unprovoked, and seemed to have been planned for quite a while.

The JTF spoke-person issued a statement that “militants or oil thieves attacked their forward base and that the JTF was going after them and flushing out the said militants or oil thieves”; but we find this utterly unacceptable, and it is a deception to justify this premeditated terror campaign against defenceless communities in the Western Niger Delta, because of the oil beneath their feet.

The JTF needs to explain to the whole world why it needed to use jet fighters and helicopter gun-ships to flush out ‘oil thieves’ by bombing and mowed down innocent civilian villagers who had gathered at Oporoza for a traditional cultural event? It is clear that the Nigerian President ordered the JTF to commit these atrocities to the people of Gbaranmatu Kingdom in order to protect the vested interests in the military oil bunkering operations. The government of Nigeria has been consistent in its brutality of the people of the Niger Delta, which started with the Ogoni-land invasions, the invasion of Kaiama, the attack and complete destruction of Odi, the destructions of towns and villages in Kalabari kingdom in eastern Niger Delta, and now the obliteration of Oporoza and Gbaranmatu Kingdom.

CONTINUED DECEPTION

The Nigerian Government continues to deceive the whole World that the JTF is stationed in the Niger Delta to prevent crude oil theft and protect oil installations from Niger Delta militants. This is laughable, when in reality, it is clear that the JTF is stationed in the Niger Delta to protect the oil bunkering interests of federal government officials, former and present serving military officers and politicians connected to the current government. These are the real oil thieves. It is even more laughable that the federal government claim to be spending over 400 billion naira a year on security in the Niger Delta, when security has actually been taken away from the people by the JTF. It is universally known that there are some criminal elements that are involved in oil theft, but that is no reason for the annihilation of an entire already-suffering people who has nothing to do with the corrupt and bankrupt politics of the Nigerian Federation. Basically, these long-suffering people of Oporoza and Gbaranmatu kingdom are killed doubly. People should make President Musa Yar’Adua understand this sort of behaviour is not acceptable in civilised and democratic countries.

In order to justify its continued presence in the Niger Delta, the JTF periodically manufacture conflict scenarios in order to perpetrate hostilities. Delta State was enjoying a long period of relative peace and reconciliation and the Governor of Delta State had recently called upon the Nigerian Government to withdraw the JTF from the state, as the area was now peaceful. There was no independent confirmation that militants attacked the JTF, prior to this invasion, and no militant group has come forward to claim responsibility for the supposed attack on the JTF(apart from the JTF claim that e-mail messages received by it, is supposed to be from a militant source). The latest murderous act by the JTF has gone too far, and it is time to bring Mr Yar’Adua and the JTF to order.

Therefore, the Ijaw People’s Association of Great Britain and Ireland and the Bayelsa State Union of Great Britain and Ireland strongly and utterly condemn these outrageous actions of barbarism by President Yar’Adua and the JTF. This is a complete betrayal of trust by Mr Yar’Adua to find a permanent and lasting solution to the Niger Delta problems. It is clear that all along, the Yar’Adua Administration and successive Nigerian Governments have been deceiving the Nigerian people and the whole world as to their sincerity in resolving the issues in the Niger Delta.

We strongly condemn the deliberate and planned killing of innocent Nigerian civilians and the mass destruction of property by the JTF. We strongly condemn the criminal use of force by the Nigerian Armed Forces. Our thoughts are with the families of the many women, children and innocent people that have been killed by the Government of Nigeria. We believe that attacking and punishing whole communities because of a few criminals is the most barbaric and undemocratic method in controlling law and order. Mr Yar’adua should know that no country that aspire to be regarded as civilised and democratic, trains its army to kill its own people. The role of the army is to defence its country from external aggression.

We fear that these atrocities that have been committed by Mr Yar’Adua and his government would:-

• Further escalate hostilities in the region, as the destruction of Odi by Mr Obasanjo led to the current level of militancy;
• Further increase the instability in the region;

• Further alienate the people of the Niger Delta;

• Further impede Nigeria’s economic progress; and

• Make Nigeria a more hopeless and miserable country

We want a situation, where every single part of Nigeria is as developed as Western Europe and North America, because Nigeria can achieve that if the politicians gain sanity. We also believe that the Niger Delta should be treated specially and with respect (as other civilised countries do); as it is the bread basket of Nigeria and it is its people that face the dire consequences of negligent oil exploration practices of the oil companies in the Niger Delta. Thus, the current invasion and the ongoing killing and destruction of towns in the Niger Delta, is a direct attack on the development of Nigeria as a whole, because the consequences of these atrocities could be far reaching for Nigeria’s progress.

We therefore, call on every well-meaning Nigerian to condemn these atrocities that are perpetrated by Mr Yar’Adua and the Nigeria military. We want the good people of Nigeria and the international community to educate the President that proper governance of a country is more than sending tanks, bombs and bullets. True power comes when you have been able to provide to the Nigerian people constant electricity, clear water, good healthcare and good education. The truth is the Mr Yar’Adua has failed in his role as the Chief Provider and Protector of his people.

If it transpires that genocide or crimes against humanity was committed (as we are hearing), we will work rigorously towards mobilising the people of the civilised world to bring to the International Criminal Court, Mr Yar’Adua, military officers, ministers, advisers, politicians and any other persons that are involved in promoting, encouraging, facilitating, aiding or abetting the perpetration of these gruesome acts of barbarism. The 1948 UN Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crimes of Genocide is clear as indicated below:-
Article 1
The Contracting Parties confirm that genocide, whether committed in time of peace or in time of war, is a crime under international law which they undertake to prevent and to punish.
Article 2
In the present Convention, genocide means any of the following acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, as such:
(a) Killing members of the group;
(b) Causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group;
(c) Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part;
(d) Imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group;
(e) Forcibly transferring children of the group to another group.
Article 3
The following acts shall be punishable:
(a) Genocide;
(b) Conspiracy to commit genocide;
(c) Direct and public incitement to commit genocide;
(d ) Attempt to commit genocide;
(e) Complicity in genocide.
Article 4
Persons committing genocide or any of the other acts enumerated in article III shall be punished, whether they are constitutionally responsible rulers, public officials or private individuals.
According to the UN Convention on the Non-Applicability of Statutory Limitations to War Crimes and Crimes Against Humanity, 1968, there is no time limitation on when criminal proceedings can be brought against the perpetrators of War Crime, Crimes Against Human and Crime of Genocide. The offices are committed under international law whether or not local law did not recognise the atrocities as offences. Genocide is Crimes Against Humanity. The Nigerian Government ratified this Convention on 1st December 1970.

We believe that Nigerian will never be prosperous economically or politically, with a president that is clueless in the effective management of his people and the economy. Vision 2020 is dead and buried.

May God bless the people of the Niger Delta, and may God bless the ordinary hard working good people of the Federal Republic of Nigeria that are constantly been deceived and humiliated by crooked successive Nigerian governments.

Signed by:

Mr Benaebi Benatari
Secretary
Ijaw Peoples Association of Great Britain and Ireland
www.ijawland.com

Mr Ebiye Asuka
Secretary
Bayelsa State Union of Great Britain and Ireland
www.bayelsa.org.uk

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My sympathies are with the Ijaws for their present ordeal.

As pointed out erlier by Mark Lar, VISIONLESSNESS on the part of many Ijaw leaders is at the centre of the people's present ordeal.

If the Ijaws had been visionary enough and paid attention to details about 42 years ago....

But the Ijaw still keep making the same mistakes by pointing fingers to the 'three ruling tribe' in Nigeria as its nemesis. Who calls the shots in Nigeria today?
It is imperative the Ijaw learns to choose good alliances.

The International Community may not be much interested in the present conflict in Ijaw land. Already the world has been made to believe that the issue at stake is flushing out criminals and oil bunkerers.

However, would bombs and jet fighterst be able to stop the quest for fiscal federalism in Nigeria?

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@Benatari,
If it transpires that genocide or crimes against humanity was committed (as we are hearing), we will work rigorously towards mobilising the people of the civilised world to bring to the International Criminal Court, Mr Yar’Adua, military officers, ministers, advisers, politicians and any other persons that are involved in promoting, encouraging, facilitating, aiding or abetting the perpetration of these gruesome acts of barbarism.

This is egregiously seriousooooooooo:evil: