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MARCH 19, 2007 VOL. 20. NO 23

More than a Fish Affair

**Governor Peter Odili of Rivers State**

Neighbouring communities in Rivers and Bayelsa States spoil for war over a disputed fishing settlement
By Lawson Heyford, Nembe/Yenagoa
ostilities between communities sharing boundary between Rivers and Bayelsa States are continuing unabated as they are far from being resolved.
Some 10 years ago, precisely in 1997, a boundary skirmish had broken out between the people of Nembe local government area of Bayelsa State and Akuku-Toru local government of Rivers State, resulting in loss of several lives and property from the two warring communities. The disputed land is a fishing settlement which separates Oluasiri clan in Nembe LGA and the Abonnema people in Akuku-Toru LGA. And in that year, no fewer than eight persons from Oluasiri Clan were feared missing, with only two bodies found floating on the river after days of intensive search. The remaining six persons are still missing till date and no one has claimed responsibility.
While the people were yet to get over that painful loss, another three young men were reportedly kidnapped by some youths suspected to have come from Akuku-Toru LGA. The victims, Tekikuma Richard Isaiah, alias “fela”(25); Igbogi Agbedi Yuosuo(29); and Eremiemi Akanate (31) were travelling by boat to Port-Harcourt, Rivers State when they were allegedly kidnapped along the Abonnema- Buguma- Port Harcourt route recently. The incident, the second within 10 years, has already created fear and tension amongst residents of the two villages of Otuma-Ama and Ben-Ama, from where the three victims hail.
Chief Peter Isaiah, a traditional ruler in Oluasiri clan told The Source that the two communities have been deserted for fear of further attack by the captors of their sons. Isaiah said that although they were yet to see the corpses of his missing kinsmen there was every reason to believe that the Kalabari people may have killed them. The resultant effect, according to him, is that the main occupation of the people which is fishing has been adversely affected.
Mrs Ezetingha Akante, wife of Eremieme, one of the three abductees, in an emotional outburst, corroborated the traditional ruler’s fears that the victims may have been killed and their corpses “done away with”.
Inspector Ayefinitei David, the station officer at Oluasiri Market Police Station confirmed the incident to Otobo Noah Opusiri of the Bayelsa State House of Assembly, representing Nembe constituency III during visit by the later to the station penultimate weekend. The report of the police inspector was based on an earlier complaint lodged at the station by Kuro Alagoa, the councillor representing Nembe Ward 13 at the Nembe local government council. David explained that investigation into the alleged abduction had commenced, but that the effort of his men were being frustrated by lack of patrol boats and other necessary facilities to enable them patrol the waterways and even contact the Nembe divisional police headquarters in cases of emergencies.
Councillor Alagoa said the frequent hostilities, if not urgently checked, could result in full-scale war between the neighbouring communities in the two states. He recalled that some 10 years, so a similar incident occurred during which many of his people were declared missing, with only few bodies found floating in the creeks while the others, he said, have not been found till date. Alagoa described the killings as senseless and said the people of Nembe and their neighbours, Kalabaris should learn to live in peace and harmony and allow justice to prevail in the boundary problem.
Last week, Opusiri condemned the hostilities and the consequent loss of lives and drew the attention of the state legislature to what he called “threat to peace and good neighbourliness”.
Moving the motion under matters of public importance, the lawmaker representing Nembe constituency III, called on the Nigeria Police to unravel the perpetrators of the dastardly act and bring them to book. According to him, the incident posed a serious risk in the movement of persons and goods from within and outside the area, especially in travelling to the Rivers State capital. As a way out of the present quagmire, Opusiri wants security agencies to beef up security in the area and the creeks to ensure safety on the waterways.
Beyond this, the lawmaker said there was urgent need to provide police stations within the riverine communities with patrol boats to enable security personnel carry out regular surveillance activities along the waterways. As a permanent solution and to avoid further re-occurrence, Opusiri said that the Federal Government should speed up its boundary adjustment exercise to stem cases of hostilities amongst neighbouring communities among and within states of the federation. He appealed to the youths of Oluasiri clan to remain calm as the Bayelsa State government, he said, was already handling the matter with its Rivers State counterpart.
Isaiah, the traditional ruler of the area also wants the Bayelsa State Government to adequately protect the lives of its citizens to avoid a possible breakdown of law and order in the area.
After several contributions from members, the Bayelsa State legislature rose in condemnation of the kidnap of the three young men from Oluasiri clan by unidentified persons suspected to have come from neighbouring Kalabari communities.
In the three-point resolution, the Assembly described the abduction as a dastardly act and appealed to the state government and the State Police command to live up to their constitutional responsibilities of protecting the lives and property of the citizenry. According to the lawmakers, the issue posed a serious threat to the people of the area and warned on the consequences of treating the matter with levity.
But inspite of the threat, there still exist cautious movement on the waterways between the troubled creeks. An urgent action by the governments of both states may just be the only solution, at least for now, to the hostilities which has resurfaced after about 10 years of fragile peace and good brotherliness between the peoples of the neighbouring communities.
Until then, fear, apprehension, tension and caution remain the only words on the minds of the people of the warring communities, even as the governments of Bayelsa and Rivers are yet to react to the latest kidnap saga.