An Ijaw think-tank group, the Ijaw Integrity Group, IIG, has urged the Nigerian military to withdraw troops from Igbomotoru town in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of Bayelsa State.
Chairman of the group, Walter Moneyman, made the call while reacting to reports of the withdrawal of troops from Okuama in Delta State, where several soldiers on a peaceful mission were killed.
Moneyman hailed the military for hearing the voice of reason to vacate Okuama, which he stated had reduced the tension that hitherto pervaded the area.
He asserted that the withdrawal of the soldiers from Okuama should be replicated in Igbomotoru town in Bayelsa State, which shares no boundary with Okuama.
According to him, the people of Igbomotoru had borne a greater brunt of the incident that occurred at Okuama with people living in fear of reprisals from the military under the guise of tracking down the fleeing masterminds of the Okuama incident.
Moneyman noted that life had become a big torment for the people of Igbomotoru due to the presence of soldiers in the community, stressing that the withdrawal of the military would return life to normal and create room for the children to go to school as they are not at ease seeing the gun-trotting soldiers around them.
He advised the military to be professional with a human face in future operations in order to avoid collateral damage to innocent citizens.
Moneyman urged the people of Igbomotoru to be peaceful, law abiding and obey constituted authority in order to maintain peace in the community.
Okuama killings: Withdraw from Igbomotoru – Ijaw group urges military