Army recruit stabs man to death as Ijaw communities clash, Igali calls for peace

Distinguished Robert Joel Igali, the Secretary aspirant for the Ijaw youths council worldwide Elections, has raised alarm over the current spate of attacks amongst Ijaw youths from Bayelsa state, particularly between youths of opuama and ozezebiri community in Southern Ijaw LGA, which started some forthnight ago that has left the whole town of ozezebiri deserted.

Robert Igali revealed that due to a minor misunderstanding at a burial ceremony held in ozezebiri, one army recruit (name withheld) stabbed a youth of Opuama to death, in a reprisal attack, opuama youths gathered themselves and raided ozezebiri community, burning down houses and carting away valuables.

From Bodmasnews.com findings, we learnt that between 16-18th of December 2016 at a burial ceremony in a small town called ozezebiri community in Southern Ijaw LGA, A victim identified as Princewill bournvita from Opuama town was gruesomely stabbed to death by one army recruit identified as Ayebatari ikatari who hails from ozezebiri community. The incident occurred in the late hours at the mid of the burial on Friday 16th, where the duo had a little misunderstanding that resulted to exchange of blows which led to Princewill death.

In a reprisal attack, Opuama youths invaded ozezebiri community in search of the culprit and when they could not find him, they unleashed mayhem on the town, burning down properties, injuring people and collecting valuables, one of the houses burnt was identified to be that of a senior lecturer in Niger Delta University in person of Dr. Okiungbo Kenneth.

As of this moment, the people of ozezebiri has deserted their community to take refuge in neighbouring towns and villages for fear of more reprisal attacks.

Meanwhile, Distinguished Robert Joel Igali has called on all Ijaw leaders to immediately intervene in the ongoing crises to avert more loss of lives and communal clashes, he appealed to government functionaries and NGOs to donate relief items to enable indigenes of the community recover their loses.

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