Rivers Youth Demand Withdrawal Of Soldiers In Ogoni Land

Over 2,000 youth at the
weekend staged a protest march  across Bori, headquarters of Khana Local Government Area of Rivers State, demanding the immediate with- drawal of soldiers from Ogoni land by the Federal Government.
The youth, who were drawn from seven local government Areas of Tai, Eleme, Oyigbo, Gokana, Khana, Opobo/Nkoro and Andoni of Rivers South East Senatorial District, marched from the State School I to the Police Area Command headquarters, all in Bori.
Some of the pla cards displayed by the protesting youth read “we say no to stigmatization of Magnus Abe,” say no to military occupation in Ogoni,” militarization of Ogoni is politically-motivated,” the international community should save us from Nigerian military,” as well as “Ogoni is peaceful, we don’t need military,” among others.
Addressing the protesting youth at the Area Command play ground in Bori, a former Senator and Chairman, governing council of the state college of Arts and Science, Senator  Lee Maeba, said that there was no reason for the Federal Government to deploy the military to occupy streets and communities in Ogoni land, adding that Ogoni was peaceful.
Maeba called on President  Muhammadu Buhari and the leadership of the National Assembly as well as the Chief of Defence Staff to, as a matter of public interest halt the on-going military occupation of Ogoni land, adding that the impression given that Ogoni was un-safe was untrue and politically-motivated.
According to him, it was those selfish politicians from Ogoni extraction who want to use the military to create impression that Ogoni was not safe, and thereby force the rescheduling of the re-run elections at all cost.
“No body should bring trouble where there is none . Nobody’s ambition should worth any Ogoni person’s blood. I choose life above my interest when it was obvious that my ambition would take people’s life during my third tenure bid. I abandoned my ambition,”  he stated.