Remove 3 Years Curfew In Ogulagha/Odimodi Road, Ozobo Tell COAS, CO 3 Battalion
Foremost Niger Delta rights activist Comrade Ozobo Austin has called on the Chief of Defence Staff, Chief of Army staff and the Commanding Officer of 3 battalion, Effurun, Delta state to immediately vacate soldiers and three years’ long curfew in Ogulagha and Odimodi communities’ access road.
The Special Assistant to the governor of Delta state, Ozobo made the call during his visit to Ogulagha community on Thursday.
Ozobo who doubled as the national president of the Ijaw Peoples’ Development Initiative, IPDI had said there was no point military should impose a curfew in a peaceful environment for three years.
The activist who outrightly condemned the military action described it as an act of unprofessionalism, primitive and mischievous.
He said,” I have never seen a situation where a curfew is imposed in a place for three years. This is a slap on my people. This movement restriction has led to the death of many people as they could not be rushed to medical facilities in Ogulagha at such emergency hours in the night as the road remains the only access road. This can happen only in a banana republic. We can’t accept it any longer. The military should be vacated. If the soldiers are there to oversee national assets, they should suspend the curfew, and stop encroaching on the community and private affairs of the communities, if the residents should continue to harbour them.
“This is a complete abuse of the fundamental human rights of the residents in the area. Why should you restrict my people’s movement without any known provocation for three years? Enough of this. We can’t accept it,” he stated.
He explained that the road where the soldiers are imposing the 6 to 6 curfew is the only access road between the two communities, adding that the soldiers’ activities had collapsed business activities in the area
The activist said he had heard of military intimidation and harassment of residents of the Ogulagha and Odimodi Communities without any provocation, stating that such is unacceptable as it is provocative and could incite public unrest.
He said no Ijaw man or woman in any part of the country should be treated as conquered citizens, noting that such parochial and insane treatments would be outrightly rebuked and would attract repulsive action.
The public advocate stressed that if the soldiers should remain in the area, then the curfew should be suspended with immediate effect to avoid public protest which may truncate the fragile peace in the Niger Delta region.
He further called on the Chief of Defence Staff, Chief of Army staff and the Commanding Officer of 3battalion Effurun, Delta state to immediately vacate soldiers and the three years long curfews in Ogulagha and Odimidi Communities access road without further delay.
