Orubebe, Kuku condemn Warri violence

[Punch]

The Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Elder Godsday Orubebe and Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta Affairs, Kingsley Kuku, have condemned the reported killing of four Itsekiri indigenes in Warri North Local Government Area of Delta State following a clash between Itsekiri and Ijaw youths in the area.

Orubebe, whose comments were contained in a statement on Thursday said  the current clash in the area was a setback to the recorded inter ethnic harmony in the area.

Orubebe said the Ijaw and Itsekiri were neighbours brought together by the God, saying those behind the breach of peace in the area were incurring the wrath of God.

He said while it was normal for neighbours to disagree, emergent issues should be dealt with appropriately through dialogue.

Kuku, in a statement in Abuja, urged security agencies to ensure that the perpetrators are brought to justice.

He also called on Itsekiri and Ijaw leaders in the state to intervene in order to avert an escalation of the crisis.

He said his office had been briefed about the development and that he had appealed to the security agencies to ensure the restoration of peace and the protection of indigenes of affected communities in the area.

Kuku commended the effort to restore calm to the area by the Delta State Governor, Emmanuel Uduaghan, and other well-meaning stakeholders, saying his office would work with the state.

 



The Punch