The people of Gbarmatu Kingdom of Delta State have called for the probe of the military operations in their communities by the Commander of the Joint Task Force, Major General Sarkin Bello.

The community threatened to drag Gen Bello to the International Court of Justice for alleged genocide and destruction of their homes and sources of livelihood.

But JTF spokesperson, Colonel Rabe Abubakar, has consistently maintained that the task force’s troops displayed high level of military professionalism in carrying out their duty, stressing that the Nigerian Army has received accolades for its peace keeping activities from all over the world.

Leaders of the community said contrary to claims by government and JTF, their kinsmen were yet to return home several weeks after the May 17 aerial attacks on the community by JTF aircrafts, adding that the operation also led to the burning of all habitable homes in the community.

Addressing newsmen in Warri, the Amaokusuwei (eldest man) and Amabebefityewei (Spokesperson) of Kurutie, Chief Dickson Wereyesegha and Chief Moneyin Pori respectively, castigated the JTF for purportedly misinforming the public about atrocities carried out there.

Wereyesegha, who said he spent two days in the bush during the operation, said, “The Kurutie community will join other destroyed communities in Gbaramadtu to bring the JTF Commander Maj.Gen. Sarkin Bello and his cohorts to book at the International Court of Justice in The Hague for genocide against us.

“All the houses that were inhabited in Kurutie Community are either destroyed by the aerial bombardment and sporadic shooting or burnt down by members of the JTF through willful setting ablaze of each house.

“Kurutie has no link with Camp 5. How on earth will the JTF claim that the only house burnt in Kurutie was because they were shot at from houses in the community? Nobody in Kututie community have access to arms. The JTF just framed up an excuse to kill defenseless citizens and wanton destruction of property.

“Up till now we cannot find most of our aged chiefs, elders and mothers who could barely escape; they are all still in the bush without access to the refugee camp at Ogbe-Ijoh,” they added.

Besides, the Kurutie elders described the process of distributing relief materials to the displaced person in the community as selective and under the dictates of the leadership of the JTF.

Nevertheless, they asked the Federal Government to expedite action on their return to their destroyed communities, maintaining, that they do not want to continually live as refugees in their own country.

Meanwhile youths from oil producing areas of Delta State yesterday protested the fates of thousands of persons by the military operations in Gbaramatu Kingdom of Warri, Delta State and urged the state government to take action to enable them return to their various communities.

The Association of Youths from Oil Producing Areas of Delta State (AYOPAD) said, “Invading the region and attacking innocent civilians thereby displacing them from their homes merely reduced government’s efforts and portray this government as staging region war against its own citizens.”

President of the association Ebiakpo Ezebri, Lucky Okoro and Nevile Okubo who signed the statement said, “Our association frowns at the idea of military men destroying the riverside communities in a bid to hunt for militants in their hideouts.

The statement flayed past government for its approach, allegedly anchored on appeasement rather than addressing the root causes of underdevelopment and marginalisation of the oil bearing communities in the management of their resources.

It advised government to approach the region’s issues with ‘Integrated Conflict Management System”, stressing that this approach include conflict prevention and peace promotion and consolidation; conflict control and abatement as well as conflict resolution.