Inside the Niger Delta, chilling tales of woes amidst plenty of crude oil (Part 1)

Editor’s Note: NAIJ.com travelled down to the creeks to unearth the mystery surrounding the Niger Delta Avengers agitation. And, in the course of this journey a lot more were discovered on how soldiers are kidnapping minors, raiding the villages and arresting people in search of the Avengers. Some argued and said they are looking for Tompolo. It was a huge revelation to realise how these people suffer despite their wealthy resources. The investigation was carried out by Aderonke Bello and Austin Igbebe

“It was on May 15, 2009, when soldiers first invaded the community during the reign of militancy. That raid left us in pains, agony and frustration. At the end of the day, our village became a shadow of itself. In this 2016, the same May 14 was when they came and scattered our community. On 28 May, they came again and surrounded Okporoza. Immediately they came, everybody scattered into the bush. No one knows father; no one knows mother.

“Parents forsook their children to find safety. We did not know our family again. Schools scattered and children were dispersed. Some got their legs broken; others are in the hospitals and there is no one to foot the bill for their treatment. Some old people died; they are in the mortuary as I am talking to you now.

“They died because of the race. It was a life and death race and as they ran, they fell because they are old people. Later, they collected our children and kept them somewhere we don’t know. For now we don’t know where they are. Parents are at a loss over the whereabouts of their children.  They have been crying; they don’t know what to do. As I’m talking to you now, I don’t know where my family members are. When the soldiers came, everybody ran to anywhere they liked.”

But in the midst of this massive body of water and crude oil, Martina Momoh, the public relations officer of the women’s wing in Okporoza, the traditional capital of Gbaramatu kingdom, said there is no water, no light and no food in the community, though all the littoral communities are built along the banks of the river.

For Matilda, soldiers have made life unbearable and bitter for them. Food to eat and clothes to wear have become scarce commodities as the soldiers have made them lose almost every means of livelihood. Martina said she could not trace the whereabouts of her family members at the time NAIJ.com visited the community. Dressed in a wrapper and with a red sleeveless dress, she said: “As you see me now this is the only clothes I have. I have no money to buy food let alone buy wrapper.”

But when residents thought peace had returned after a few days of commotion, the military again launched another attack: “While a few of us that remained in the village thought peace was returning, they came from the bush path and raided the village. They kept their boats in two sections of the river while others came through the bush, we became confused. Again, we began to run.

“They blocked every entrance; three boats here, others surrounded the bush. Seeing that it was getting out of hand, we decided to say let’s stay and see the end. But some said no, they can’t wait to confront death with their naked eyes and made their way to wherever they could.

“As we are here now, to get money to buy food it’s difficult for us. Schools have closed down; primary and secondary all down. Light we don’t have; water we don’t have. Nothing in our community but the soldiers are always on our neck. What did we do to them?

“As you are seeing me now, you will know that we are suffering. No clothes to tie, no place to sleep, all of us sleeping outside both men and women, boys and girls. It is awful. We are tired of the whole experience; we don’t know what to do again. We don’t know the crime we committed against the federal government of Nigeria. Let them leave us alone,” she lamented.

Bitter tales

The continuing military invasion and occupation has left the community gnashing in pain and bitter abandonment. Martina, who sat on a kitchen stool when NAIJ.com visited, gave lurid details of life in the military-ravaged community.

She traced the history of military conquest of the Ijaw community from the year 2009 when the military raided the Niger Delta in the heat of militancy, and gave step-by-step details of how the community was subdued at the hands of brutal and heartless soldiers.

For her, the Nigerian soldiers under the command of the federal government have not been fair to the community. They have turned the community into a battlefront, leaving them in pain, hunger and nursing bitter acrimony against the government of Nigeria.

Martina is not the only person who has bitter tales of anguish to tell. The secretary of the community, Elekute Macaulay, has a lot to tell also. To him, the story of the invasion of Okporoza will continue to be told to generations yet unborn. For them, life is like what they see in war movies.

He said soldiers are making life difficult for the people. Commercial activities including fishing and farming have all been abandoned in fear of the soldiers. All their means of livelihood have been taken away and they have been turned into beggars in their own village.

“No one can predict when they will come. For that reason, people cannot sleep in the night. They cannot sleep in the day; they cannot eat well in the day; they can’t eat well in the night. As I speak, a lot of people are developing high blood pressure. Many are drinking bad water in the bush where they ran to and are vomiting,” he said.

The expansive Escravos river flows gently as the early morning sun rises upon the river. Often one cannot determine the direction of flow due to its massive size and diverse tributaries.

The top of the river is dotted with a white substance which flows and dances tantalizingly along with the rhythm of the river’s flow. At times, it tussles, slaps itself and whirls up.

Ordinarily, we may wonder what the white substance that flows with the water are leaves that are blown into the water by the wild wind. Such thinking could only be the reasoning of a first time visitor who may not have visited the Niger Delta before, especially the littoral settlements. In fact, the white substance is crude oil that flows along the course of the mighty and sprawling river.

The flow of the crude oil on the water indicates the massive presence of crude oil in the Niger Delta region of southern Nigeria. Along the bank of the river also are mangrove trees; the only trees that thrive in the mangrove forest.

As the flying boat or engine boat travels through the water, one sees the mangrove trees disappearing from sight as if they are being driven by another speed boat. The mangrove trees are major features of the Niger Delta region.

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It could be worrisome to see the flow of crude oil, even on the water’s surface, when there is no light, no water and no food for the people in the area.

Gbaramatu kingdom is home to almost all the oil-exploring firms in the region. Okporoza, which is also the home of Tompolo, the repentant militant commander, is a shadow of itself. It has become almost a godforsaken community despite the wealth it generates to the federal government of Nigeria.

Failed healthcare system

One might wonder why a large community like Okporoza does not have adequate health care. Old and young die on a daily basis and sometimes bodies are thrown in the water, as the people are scared of burying the dead for the fear of the soldiers harassing the community.

“People die here everyday. We do not have a means of livelihood; it is so sad,” Regina Mathew said.

The Ministry of Health refused to comment when contacted concerning the abandonment of the people. There is a high rate of mortality, infanticide and also the death of the aged due to a lack of health care within the region.

Macaulay, a teacher at Gbaran Grammar School, said that accessing health care is a herculean task for the community’s people.

“Because of the military men, we are finding it difficult going to hospitals. As you may know, hospitals are not close to this place. The only hospital in Okerenkoko is no longer servicing. With this you can see that we don’t have access to health facilities, yet our resources are feeding the nation,” he said.

Tales of woe and kidnapping

He said the invasion has displaced students of the school. When NAIJ.com visited Okporoza, the schools were closed with the only exception of not more than 10 students writing NECO examinations. Primary and secondary schools were locked.

The students who escaped out of the town by the river are finding it difficult to return to school for fear of the soldiers. Going through the community, only a handful of people are there. Most doors, shops, market stores and small business premises were shut.

Mothers of the children arrested are crying day and night over the whereabouts of their children, maintaining that the children must have been killed by the heartless soldiers.

“Now I know that the police and the army are liars. They arrested our innocent children and put guns in their hands and called them members of Niger Delta Avengers.  It is bad that soldiers can arrest anybody and label them as criminals,” she said.

NAIJ.com’s reporter also saw the massive palace under construction but abandoned due to the invasion of the soldiers.

Besides stores and shops being shut, the entire community is quiet because most people have left. The few people left in the village were seen sitting in clusters talking of the recent events in the area. According to Morris Teleba, the chairman of the community, as some are talking, others are watching the riverside so that they are not caught unaware.

Chief Francis Mala, a leader in the community, is also not happy. Mala, who was said to have knocked his head against a wall while attempting to escape, expressed displeasure over the militarization of Okporoza community. He said: “What I have seen in this place does not obtain anywhere in the world.

“I have been in government; I served in the Navy, but the experience I have got in this place does not prove that there is a government in Nigeria. Our community is spoiled. There is no water; there is no light and government is sending soldiers to harass us. What evil have we done to government? This is unfair,” Chief Mala said with a sigh of grief.

One of the school teachers who was seen invigilating the NECO exams, Helen Douglas, said that the soldiers kidnapped some of the students of the school and took them to an unknown destination. She said the kidnapped students were preparing for the Junior School Certificate Examination (JSSCE), and had consequently missed the examination.

She gave the names of the missing students, who included Joe Emmanuel, Abraham Godspower, Solomon Kevwe, Emmanuel Joy and David John, and said that following the action of the soldiers, other students were scattered and are now afraid of coming to school.

“The soldiers seized them and took them away. They missed the JSSCE exams. Their data are in the Ministry of Education in Asaba. They have not released them up till now; they are still with them. They were held in the school premises. They live here with us because they come to school from neighbouring villages that do not have schools.

“Because of that, other students are scared of coming to school. It was a day after the May 27 children’s day that they were carried away. They did a lot of activities on the children’s day. They come from other communities that do not have secondary school. They were to go home on Saturday morning May 28 but the incident happened at the early hour of the day when the soldiers whisked them away,” Douglas narrated.

Alex Torosi, who is sitting for the NECO exams, has a similar tale to tell. “Since we started our exams we have been running because of soldiers. While we run, we lost the money our parents sent to us. We will come back and write, then run again. Our parents are running, we are running so we don’t have any way of getting money from them.

“The continuous running is affecting our exams very seriously. We can’t settle down to read for the exams. We don’t think well because of soldiers. As soon as we hear they are coming, we leave exam hall and run. After that we come again and write. What do you think one can do in such a situation? That’s how we have been doing. It’s been a very bad experience,” Torosi said with a mournful face.

One may question the need for the continuing military occupation of Gbaramatu kingdom since the community has said that the Niger Delta Avengers are not there? A layman may say they are looking for the Avengers who have blown up pipelines and attempted to destroy the economy of Nigeria.

However, the spokesperson of the Gbaramatu kingdom, Gbenakemi Godspower, has a different view. To him, the soldiers are not looking for the Niger Delta Avengers; they are looking for Tompolo.

“I do not agree that they are looking for Avengers; they are looking for one person and that is Tompolo. But they don’t know that this same Tompolo is the only person who, with his clout, and connection in the Niger Delta, that can stop the issue of the Avengers.

“But as long as they continue to hunt him, they cannot. I repeat as long as they continue to hunt him, the issue of Avengers will persist. But if they stop hunting him and he comes out, and say this thing must stop, then he can stop them. In this type of situation, he is the only person that can help the matter,” Gbenakemi said with an air of authority.

He added: “When John Togo was terrorizing the region with sea piracy, it was Tompolo that stopped him. Now that this thing is happening, the federal government should use its tongue to count its teeth. Is the pursuit of this man going to help us?”

He said that for him, as a Gbaramatu chief, he would not advise Tompolo to appear before the court, as he believes that the day he lands in the court, he will be handcuffed, crippled and thrown into detention.

“We know what happened to others. We know Metuh, Nnamdi Kanu, Sambo Dasuki, the Akpobolokemi and others who appeared and were handcuffed. Look, the federal government is pursuing a vendetta and it’s an ill wind that will blow no one any good.”

Gbenakemi said Gbaramatu kingdom is the highest oil-producing area in the Niger Delta, but lamented: “For the past 60 years you cannot see one federal government presence anywhere in the area. So the people are still living in squalor and poverty. The only thing that would have given us federal government presence is this Maritime University which they are now planning to take away.”

He condemned the stance of the federal government against the region. According to him:“We are not qualified to be educated in Nigeria; that is why they are taking the school out of our place. We are not qualified to enjoy local content; that is why they took the contract to other people.

“It is now even worse. Our primary schools are no more functioning because of the military invasion. So, we are like going back to the early days. The life of the Gbaramatu man is very unpredictable. Anybody that is caught, anybody the military lays hands on, is an Avenger.

“Like me who has been a chief of Gbaramatu for 27 years, if they lay hands on me I am an Avenger. I don’t have anything to show that I am not an Avenger. How do I defend myself that I am not an Ijaw man from Gbaramatu. Once I’m an Ijaw man from Gbaramatu I am an Avenger. This is not too good.”

But he insisted that the issues raised by the Niger Delta Avengers are real, saying only that he condemned the approach of the Avengers to attracting government attention to the plight of the Niger Delta people.

He said there is massive underdevelopment in the region. “The region is demonized: we are only good when they want oil from us, but we are not good to be educated. We are not good enough to enjoy local content, but we are good to be exploited and left to fade and rot away,” an angry Gbenakemi said.

For him, there is confusion over the way forward: “We don’t even know the way out now. Saro Wiwa struggled; the federal government killed him. Isaac Adaka Boro did his; they killed him. MEND did their own; they brought amnesty programme and allowed an Ijaw man to be president while he was actually working for the Northerners.

So, for now we don’t even know the antidote to the present problem of the Niger Delta. But we need peace that is why we condemn the method which the Avengers are employing to get government attention.”

For Sheriff Mulade, the chairman of Kokodiagbene community, another settlement in Gbaramatu kingdom, the renewed militancy has affected the kingdom in no small measure. It has displaced the people and unsettled many. However, Mulade said Gbaramatu has been a major hub of agitation for the liberation, emancipation and development of the Niger Delta.

Mulade said that Gbaramatu kingdom hosts eight flow stations, among which he named Abiteye, Makarava, Utunana, Jones Creek, Udidi 1 and 2 and Egwa I and 2. He said Gbaramatu is one of the biggest oil producing kingdoms in the Niger Delta, as it produces over 1500 barrels of oil per day.

He said: “During the heat of the agitation in 2009, Gbaramatu spearheaded all meetings, all negotiations, and the meetings were held in Okporoza where Tompolo temporarily resides to welcome every freedom fighter from the region. But after the declaration of amnesty by late President Umaru Musa Yara’ Adua, there was relative peace in the region.”

He continued: “In 2015, issues of fraud, issues of political witch hunting, political enemies, ethnic sentiments played out and Tompolo became a target and the EFCC claimed it has a lot of facts to those alleged fraud. Tompolo was invited but he failed to appear on two or three occasions and by the law, he was declared wanted.”

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He said though the actions of the Avengers are to be condemned, their demands are germane to the needs of the region. “The Avengers thereafter embarked on pipeline vandalism to draw government attention which we condemn; not because the issues they raised are not genuine; not because the issues they raised are not the people’s interestn not because the issues they raised are not for our benefit; but because we do not want our environment to be destroyed.”

He said that the only music the Nigerian government listens to is violence: “And that is why I have discovered that the amount of violence you perpetuate in Nigeria will determine your level of recognition.

“Your weight of violence determines your immediate invitation for discussion and eventually meeting your needs.”

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