Crisis rocks Delta Community, 6 injured as NPDC/JVC present vehicles to security forces

By Akpos Oghenetega,

 

Some angry youths of Ugborhen Community in Sapele local government area of Delta state, today stormed the venue where NPDC/SEPLAT Joint Venture was billed to present three Hilux Toyota vehicles to the Nigeria Police, Army and Navy, disrupting the presentation, leading to 6 persons sustaining injures.

The youths numbering over 100 led one Mr Ajolor Amos accused the oil company of neglecting the community needs but are equipping the security agencies in order to use them to continue to oppress them.

The youths chanting war song stormed the community hall “we no go gree o, we no go gree” and carrying placards with the inscriptions; “we have bad leaders” “we are suffering inspite our oil wells,” accused the former community leader of neglecting the needs of the community in an effort to please the oil company operating there.

According to the protest leader, Mr Ajolor called for urgent intervention from the state government saying the community leaders are shortchanging them; “how can they give vehicles worth 42 million to the security forces when we don’t have a telephone network in our village, we don’t have light, we don’t have water and our people can hardly eat, we won’t accept this,” he said.

 

 

Collaborating this fact, a young woman who simply gave her name as Namena, said:  “We can’t give when we don’t have anything from the oil company.”

Speaking also another lady, Stella Uwado, said it was painful that while the majority of their people are going to bed daily hungry, though a host to many oil wells the management of NPDC/SEPLAT Joint Venture is busy buying vehicles to security agencies, “how can they buy vehicles for security force when we are hungry, they give empowerment to only their brothers and sisters and they neglect us,” adding that they won’t accept this from the leaders.

Patience, an undergraduate lamented that they have to do miner jobs in order to keep life going, said “they intimidate us with the security people and that is why they are quick to assist them with vehicles,” adding that the community is tired of suffering in silence.

The aborted presentation which had in attendance representatives of the Police, Army, Navy and Ugborhen community leaders and elders; however turned violent when one of the community leaders was confronted by a protester who tagged a betrayer.

The event was however brought to an abrupt end, as recipients of the vehicle fleed the venue, however, the windscreen of two vehicles was smashed.

A Toyota Corolla that was trying to escape rampaging youths also ran into a crowd of protesters injuring six people, four women and two young men and are currently receiving treatment at an undisclosed hospital in Sapele.