Emma Amaize
2 December 2008
DELTA Waterways Security Committee (DWSC) has arrested two of the suspected sea pirates, who robbed fishermen of five outboard engine boats at the Forcados Estuary in Delta State, about a fortnight ago, at gunpoint.
Three of the boats that were stolen have also been recovered and one of them handed over to the original owner.
In a related development, the committee has moved to smother the anxiety between the Obontie community on one side and Ugbukurusu and Ikeresan communities on the other, all in Sapele Local Government Area of Delta State over the kidnap of an Itsekiri missionary with the Soul Harvesters Ministries, residing in Obontie by suspected militants.
Reports, yesterday, said the DWSC intervention team in Ogulagha area, led by Chief Second Benikrukru and Barrister P. Seimode, which acted on a tip off, tracked down one of the sea pirates at Ekeremor River, while the other was caught when he came to sell one of the stolen boats in Warri.
He was arrested and handed over to the Marine Police in Warri by the DWSC team, which is doing everything possible to sanitize the waterways of the state.
On the Obontie, Ugbukurusu/Ikeresan dispute, the committee in a statement, yesterday, appealed to the warring communities to continue to live like brothers like they had done over the years, lay down their arms, exercise patience and give the government ample time to properly handle the vexing issues because of the complexities involved.
Tension built up among the communities in November when a coalition of Itsekiri militants and the Obontie community issued separate ultimatums to the Ugbukurusu and Ikeresan communities to produce the victim, dead or alive or they would retaliate.
Obontie community in its 14-day ultimatum, signed by the Olare-Aja, John Ogholaja said, "We hereby give an ultimatum of 14 days for Ugbukurusu and Ikeresan to produce our son, Mr. Eyitor, either dead or alive as we may not be able to control our youths whose relations have been murdered in cold blood"
"To nip the looming crisis in the bud and ensure that law and order did not break down in the state while the issues raised by the Obontie people were being addressed, the committee through its intelligence network identified the coalition of militant group that issued the ultimatum and reached out to them to maintain a cease fire".
"At the weekend, a six-man sub-committee of the DWSC, including Mr P.K. Seimode, Comrade Omolubi Newuwumi, Mr. Bright Abilo, Chief Vincent Okudulor, Mr. Henry Ayanruoh and Emma Amaize visited the chairman of Sapele Local Government Area, Mr. Godwin Atose to synergize with him, as the chief security officer of the area, on how to ensure that the matter did not get out of hand", the statement added.Mr.
Atose briefed the DWSC on the efforts the council had made so far in managing the crisis, saying that a meeting has been scheduled for today (Tuesday) in his office to continue with the search for the Obontie indigene.
He said the council was treating the matter as a purely criminal matter and he had refused the plan by some people to categorize it as an inter-communal crisis, adding that the father of a suspected kingpin of the kidnap gang had been arrested and handed over to law enforcement agents in an orchestrated move to force his son to come out of hiding.
Atose commended the DWSC for intervening in the matter, saying, "I did not know that the committee is very painstaking in addressing security issues the way you are going about it now, I thought it is only when there is security breach in the waterways that you come out, not knowing you are interested peace anywhere in the state".
Mr Seimode had earlier told the Sapele council boss, "This sub-committee of the DWSC is here to discuss with you, find out how you are handling the ultimatum issued by Obontie community to its Ugbukurusu and Ikeresan neighbours over the kidnap of one of their sons, we are not here to judge who is right or wrong, but, we don"t want the matter to degenerate into a security crisis in the state.We have, in our own way, reached out to some of the people that issued the ultimatum to simmer down and allow government to address the matter".
He told the chairman that the DWSC was prepared to work with the council to resolve the matter, saying, "We have members who are leaders from this local government and they were picked because of their knowledge and capability, you should work with them".
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