Ogoni killings: Women burst into tears before House of Reps’ panel (photos)
– A massive crowd came to the Rivers state House of Assembly where a public hearing was conducted by the House of Representatives’ committee on the army
– Relatives of the victims and witnesses called on the committee to investigate the killings in Ogoniland and do everything possible to restore peace in the area
– They accused the APC in the state of inviting the military to the area and orchestrating the extra-judicial killings
House of Representatives’ Committee on Army
A massive crowd came to the Rivers state House of Assembly to witness the inaugural sitting of the House of Representatives’ committee on the army on Monday, April 18.
Daily Post reports that Civil Society Organisations, relatives of the victims and witnesses called on the committee to investigate the killings in Ogoniland and do everything possible to restore peace in the area.
Aggrieved Ogoni women droped to their knees and burst into tears while narrating their ordeal.
The bereaved family members from Ogoniland cried uncontrollably before the panel members.
Those who spoke at the public hearing recalled tragic incidents that led to the killing of some people by the army in Bori, Zaakpor, Yeghe and Bunu communities in Ogoni.
They accused the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state of inviting the military to the area and alleged that extra-judicial killings were orchestrated by two leading party’s candidates in Ogoni: Senator Magnus Abe and Bari Mpigi.
Relatives of the victims and witnesses called on the committee to investigate the killings in Ogoniland.
After listening to the testimonies of the organisations and victims, the House Committee on Army said it will hear from the security operatives and those alleged to have sponsored the military invasion on Ogoni.
Commenting on the work of the committee, Rimamde Shawulu Kwewum, the chairman of the team, said:
“We are not here to witch-hunt anybody. We are only in Rivers state to carry-out our constitutional responsibilities as bridge builders. As you can see – to the left are some PDP members, to my right, I have APC and also a member of APGA. We are about 16 of us in this committee and that tells you we are bi-partisan.
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“We will need to take all sides of the story so we can be objective in our resolution to the House of Representatives. We will need to listen to the security chiefs again but that will be when we go back to Abuja.
“But we assure you that we will resolve all the issues that may cause crisis in Ogoni. That is our priority.”
On the same day, Governor Nyesom Wike granted audience to members of the House of Representatives committee on the army.
He announced that Rivers state is largely peaceful with increasing internally generated revenue, which indicates that businesses are thriving and functional.
The governor noted that after the rerun elections the sponsored propaganda reports no longer dominate the media because there were no political killings in the state.
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