The governor''s visit comes a month after the military invaded the riverine community.

Bayelsa State Governor Douye Diri on Tuesday visited Igbomotoro community in the Southern Ijaw Local Government Area following the military invasion of the community in search of suspected killers of 17 military personnel in Okuama, Delta State on March 14.

The governor''s visit comes a month after the military invaded the riverine community.

Addressing the leadership and a cross-section of the residents of the community at Igbomotoro Town Hall, Governor Diri condemned the brutal killing of the soldiers. He said it was unfortunate that what happened in Delta State was being felt by the people of the community.

He urged the military authorities to continue with painstaking investigation to unveil the killers and their sponsors, adding that all those involved must be brought to justice to face the full wrath of the law. 

The governor who was accompanied by the Commanding Officer 16 Brigade of the Nigeria Army, Yenagoa, Brigadier General Oluremi Obolo, Secretary to the State Government (SSG) Prof. Nibofa Ayawei, Ambassador Boladei Igali and other government officials, warned youths that the era of militancy in Ijaw land was over, adding that it was time for intellectual engagement.

Diri, who made his first public statement after the incident, commended the military high command for ensuring that what happened in Odi in 1999 did not happen in Igbomotoro community.

The Odi massacre was an attack carried out on November 20, 1999, by the Nigerian Armed Forces against the predominantly Ijaw town of Odi in Bayelsa State.

Before the massacre, 12 police personnel were murdered by a gang near Odi. The Odi massacre and razing of the community by the military was a reaction to the killing of police personnel.

Diri said: "I have come to meet with you - the Igbomotoro community - that enough is enough. In every season, there is a time for everything. The era of militancy is over and this is the era of intellectual engagement. This is what your government is set to do and your government has been doing.

"Ijaw people are very intelligent people, we can compete with anybody anywhere in the world, and we should not be seen as cannon fodder and this is a warning to all of those who are still cannon fodder to have a rethink.

"Your government is establishing schools, particularly schools with skills acquisition, science and technical colleges even in empowering programmes and we want our youths to key into it and drop your guns.

"Youths cannot take over leadership of the community by force, that is what we have started seeing in our communities and this again will be a warning to all of our traditional rulers, they must stay at home to lead the people and any traditional ruler that is not found in his base, I will promptly remove that traditional ruler.

"And my advice to the military is that they must painstakingly investigate the killings in Okuama to ascertain those that are culpable so that innocent people will not be sacrificed. 

The truth is what Ijaw people want and those behind the killings in Okuama should be properly investigated and unveiled to the Nigerian public. They should face the wrath of the law. That is my humble appeal to the Nigerian military and all the security agencies.

"Those who must have sponsored even the killers; all should be brought to book. You cannot imagine soldiers who are actually expected to secure us as civilians being brutally murdered in broad daylight. 

What are we looking for, is it the oil? Has oil actually become a curse in Ijaw nation rather than a blessing to Ijaw land? Has oil become a curse to Bayelsa State rather than a blessing to the people of Bayelsa State?

"That is why very efficient uncorrupted investigations should be launched. Who knows if oil is part of what has led to these killings? We hear it is (about) land issues. Until the investigations are revealed, we will not know what truly caused this brutal killing of our security men. Nobody has the power to take the life of another man.

"We cannot go back to the days of Isaac Adaka Boro, this is a different era. Thank you for your patience and I believe that this will not happen again, not only in Igbomotoro community but in all of our communities in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area, Bayelsa State and indeed in Ijaw land.

"The military has cooperated and they told me that you can go about your normal business. They will not hurt innocent people and I am sure that from when that incident happened until today at least we are beginning to have total freedom in Igbomotoro community.

"Please go about your normal business as we will continue to engage the federal government and the military high command so that this incident will be brought to a permanent rest, but those who killed must be brought to book."

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