Bomu, Lewe Crisis: LG Boss Denies Taking Sides

The Chairman of Gokana Local Government Area in Rivers State, Hon. Paul Kobani, has denied allegations that he was taking sides in the communal crisis between Bomu and Lewe communities.
This came on the heels of a recent statement by the Youth Leader of Lewe community, Stanley Nagbi accusing the Gokana Council boss of bias in his handling of the crisis between the warring communities.
Nagbi had alleged that Hon. Kobani was taking sides in the crisis because two of his aides, including his personal secretary are from neigbouring Bomu.
Reacting to the allegation, Koboni dismissed the allegations as false, saying his principal has rather initiated avenues to restore lasting peace to the Ogoni communities.
Kobani who spoke to The Tide through his Chief Press Secretary, Maxwell Dukori, accused the Lewe youth leader of sabotaging peace moves by declining invitations to meetings called by major stakeholders aimed at finding lasting solution to the crisis between the communities.
Kobani, said, “The statement credited to the youth leader of Lewe community that the Chairman of Gokana local government area is taking sides in the Bomu/Lewe crisis is untrue and misleading.
“For him (Nagbi) to claim that the chairman’s personal driver and secretary are from Bomu shows how shallow he thinks. For the records, the chairman’s driver is not from Bomu neither is his personal secretary.
“It is the council secretary that is from Bomu. But how that connects to the crisis remains a mystery to me. The youth leader should explain to the world why he has never attended any peace meeting called by the chairman and even the ones called by the General Officer Commanding (GOC) 6 Division, Nigerian Army, Port Harcourt, Jamil Sarham,” Kobani queried.
The Chief Press Secretary to the Gokana Council Chairman, however, said his principal is committed to ensuring that peace returns to the two communities without bias.
“His claim about the solution brought by a former Caretaker Committee Chairman (CTC) is not only ridiculous but senseless, because if there was any such solution the Chairman would not have inherited the crisis.
“The Gokana Chairman is making frantic efforts to bring lasting peace to Bomu and Lewe communities and Gokana at large. So my advice to the youth leader is that he should embrace peace so that Gokana can move forward.
“Because the chairman of Gokana will continue to do everything in his powers to bring about lasting peace to the two communities without fear or favour”, he stated.
The Tide reports that Bomu and Lewe communities have been embroiled in a prolonged crisis which has claimed some lives and destroyed property worth millions of Naira.

Dennis Naku