Okafor Ofiebor/Port Harcourt
Delta State Governor, Senator Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, has condemned recent killing of Nigerian soldiers and other civilians in a houseboat attack in Omadino, Warri South, Delta State, by suspected militants.
In a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Charles Ehiedu Aniagwu, Governor Okowa noted that the killing was criminality carried too far as nothing justifies taking of lives of uniformed security men who are out to protect the common property of Nigerians.
“Your activities could turn Delta state into a theatre of war and this portends great danger to the whole population aside from casting the image of the state as insecure and unfit for investment. We cannot, as a state, afford this rascality if we hope to make progress”, he said.
Governor Okowa recalled his earlier appeals to any aggrieved member of the state, including militants to embrace dialogue. He observed that this informed the decision by his government to constitute an advocacy committee which went round the creeks and oil producing communities in the last few weeks to canvass support for a violence-free Delta- as a precondition for development.
Governor Okowa, noted that no society develops in an atmosphere of chaos and criminality and that no government would fold its hands in the face of high level of aggravation and utter disregard for the sanctity of human lives.
He therefore called on Deltans to rally round government to bring the perpetrators to book.
“For the umpteenth time, I wish to call on well meaning people of Delta State to speak up and not only condemn the activities of these militants but also offer their best counsel and commitment towards resolving this crisis,” Governor Okowa said.
He extended the condolences of his family and the people of Delta State to the families of the victims and prayed God to grant them eternal rest while urging the security agencies to ensure that the culprits do not go scot free.
Governor Okowa also advised members of the Niger Delta Avengers to embrace dialogue.