The Chairman, Ogoni Traditional Rulers Council, HRH Mene Suanu Baridan, has described as alarming the spate of killings in Ogoni land, especially in Khana Local Government Area.
Mene Baridan, who is also the Gbenemene Bangha made the assertion in a chat with our correspondent in Port Harcourt, recently.
According to him, with the wantom destruction of lives and property in the area, no meaningful development could strive, and called for all hands to be on deck to stop the ugly trend which blows an ill-wind.
The Traditional Ruler disclosed that some people had abandoned their homes and communities for safety.
He called on Chiefs and individuals who fled their homes to return and make peace because as he puts it, they are visitors or sojourners in Port Harcourt and anywhere they are residing now.
He, however, blamed some Chiefs and politicians for empowering the youths to carry arms against each other, saying “enough is enough and such barbaric and senseless killings in Ogoni land must stop for development and progress to thrive.”
The Gbenemene Bangha described a recent security meeting with all stakeholders and security operatives in the area as very successful with a call on the officers and men of the Bori Police Area Command not to disclose credible information’s from stakeholders to criminals as that had been instrumental to the increasing wave of criminality in the area.
Mene Baridan appealed to the Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike to make good his early promise of rewarding any monarch that maintained peace in his dormain and dethrone those found wanting, stressing that such would also checkmate the wanton destructions in Ogoni land.
He decried the seeming failure of the amnesty programme of the government in Ogoniland which he described unfortunate, alleging that the politicians who empowered them had instructed them not to submit the arms.
The royal father, therefore, appealed to the state government to give them another chance for all to submit any arms in their possession.