Ugborodo crisis: How my men got injured – Navy Commander

When news broke September 7 that two naval personnel of the Nigerian Navy Ship, NNS, Delta were injured in a brush with edgy youths in volatile Aruton (Ode-Ugborodo), the ancestral home to the Ugborodo people of Warri South West Area of Delta State, authorities at the Warri Naval Base were initially reluctant to explain what led to the situation.

The Commander, NNS, Delta, Capt Musa Gemu,

however, revealed a couple of days later that the injury sustained by his men resulted from a boat accident while his troop were being forced out of the community by agitated youths.

In a briefing in Warri, Gemu blamed a youth leader in the community for leading the eviction of the navy troop which forced their withdrawal nine hours after being welcomed and accommodated to come into the community to enforce peace and resettle persons still displaced by recent violence in the community.

He said: “All leaders agreed the last time we met that we are free to enter the community to keep peace and return displaced persons.

As a departure from the previous divided interest, the community leaders received us very well and even provided accommodation for us.

“For nine hours from 4.30pm of 6th September, we enjoyed warm reception and were almost convinced that the entire community was ready for peaceful return of displaced persons. Shockingly around 2am, the youth leader mobilised the entire community and asked my men to leave.

“I had to ask my men to leave because if there was accidental discharge, the story would be different. It was when my men were leaving that night that they ran into another boat.

The two men injured are receiving treatment. For standing against the military in its peace mission in the community, I am holding the youth leader responsible and we will invite him for explanation.”

Responding to the Navy’s remarks, Femi Uwawah, a member of the Ugborodo Peace Committee said: “There was no violence. What happened was that the youths got a hint that the Navy had a hidden agenda to arrests the youth leader and 17 others. They felt that was not the mandate agreed by all parties for allowing the military in.

Added to past experience which led to arrest of innocent youths and community leaders, the youths insisted that the Navy must leave. Ugborodo is ready for peace. Work is ongoing uninterrupted at the EPZ. We enjoin the President to come and do ground breaking to further improve peace.”

Alex Eyengho, another EPZ Committee member expressed doubt on the Navy’s capability to deal with the situation, saying: “This is the third time the Navy would cheaply yield to eviction by violent civilian youths in Aruton.

We all agreed to unhindered access of the military to go in to keep peace and resettle displaced persons. Each time the Navy goes in, they sheepishly rush out, chased away by criminal elements.

“It’s time the Navy to either disproved if they don’t have a pact with the youths others don’t know or own up to lacking capacity to deal with the situation so that they can seek help from the army to deal with it.

Thank God the displaced persons did not go with them. It would have amounted to leading the displaced to suicide if they had gone only for the Navy to disappear and abandon them to the violent youths.”

Among the injured naval personnel, Vanguard Metro learnt, is Pius Akhigbe who allegedly suffered broken shoulders in his first major field after just being transferred to the NNS Delta from Lagos barely a month back.