Women Hold Prayer, Accuse Ex-Militant Of Attacks

Farmers in Uegwere Boue community in Khana Local Government Area of Rivers State have raised an alarm over what they termed incessant attacks and killings on their farms by gunmen, saying they can no longer access their crops.
The farmers, all women, in an early morning prayer session in the community town hall on Wednesday, accused an ex-Niger Delta agitator, of masterminding the continued attacks on their farmlands.
The former chairman, Community Development Committee of Uegwere Boue community, Godspower Ipianeh, said the women were now helpless as they could no longer go to their farms over fear of being killed by gunmen loyal to the ex-agitator.
Ipianeh said while the ex-agitator hailed from Yeghe community in Gokana LGA, “Uegwere Boue is in Khana LGA and there is no reason for women to be repeatedly attacked on their farmlands in Joro, Deme-or, Demekue, Gugurunall, Wiibori, Orkuego, Yerenwiri, Labor and Gaagaa, all in Khana LGAs.”
He said they had written to the Police and the Department of State Services, the Nigerian Army, as well as the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps in the state, adding that that there had been no intervention so far.
”We are appealing to the Federal Government, the Rivers State Government and the Defence Headquarters to come to our aid as a matter of urgency because we are living in fear.
“Within a forth night, seven persons have been killed on their farms, including a young man who escorted his mother to the farm. The corpse of one of the victims was recovered by operatives of the Bori Divisonal Police,” the CDC chairman added.
Speaking, mother of a deceased young man, Mrs. I-awa Atornu-Tor, said, “On the 27th of December 2020, my son and I were attacked in the farm. My son was shot dead in my presence.”
Another victim, Mrs Asawa Adoobe, said she was assaulted, stripped and beaten to a pulp after her cassava was uprooted by the hoodlums.