This Day (Lagos)
Onwuka Nzeshi
2 July 2009
Abuja — House of Representatives yesterday directed the Federal Government to pay one billion naira to Odioma Community, Bayelsa State, to compensate for invasion of the community by the Joint Military Task Force in 2005.
The House also urged security agencies to investigate the murder of 12 persons, including four councillors, in Nembe Local Government Area of Bayelsa State.
In addition, the House, at the Committee of the Whole, yesterday urged Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) of Nigeria to exercise adequate corporate due diligence and undertake thorough human rights risk assessments, to ensure that its activities do not contribute to conflicts in its areas of operations.
The directives came on the heels of consideration of the report of the Community's petition against the Joint Task Force, codenamed Operation Restore Hope. Odioma, a Community in Brass Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, had on December 12, 2007, petitioned the House over "unwarranted attack" on it by soldiers of the Nigerian Army. The petition was referred to the House Committee on Public Petitions for legislative action.
An investigative hearing was conducted on the petition, during which representatives of the Joint Task Force, Defence Headquarters, as well as Odioma community gave testimonies. Brigadier General Elias Zamani, who was Commander of the Joint Task Force at the time of the incident, was also invited to testify during the investigative hearing.
Chairman, House Committee on Public Petitions, Honourable CID Maduabum, said in the course of the investigations, the Committee found that the said invasion of Odioma had been captured in a report by the Amnesty International and therefore, could not have been the imagination of the community.
Maduabum said contrary to the claim by representatives of Defence Headquarters, the Joint Task Force was actually involved in military operations in Odioma Community.
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