[Announce-DAN] OGONI people killed in Nigeria

[Jill Dreier <jcdreier@yahoo.com>]

Three Killed in Ogoni Clashes

Post Express (Lagos)
November 13, 2000 

Boniface Okoro
Port Harcourt 

About three persons are now confirmed dead following
the violent clashes that erupted in Ogoniland during
the memorial ceremonies for late environmental
activist, Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight of his kinsmen at
the
weekend even as the two factions of the Movement for
the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP), have
continued to trade accusations over the
incident.
Sources told The Post Express in Port Harcourt that
though it was difficult to give accurate casualty
figures, about three persons were believed to have
died in Bori, the headquarters of Khana Local
Government Area of River State where the incident took
place. 
According to the source, the three persons died of
machete cuts less than 24 hours after they were
attacked, while many others were still receiving
treatment in many hospitals in the town, as a result
of injuries they sustained.
Identities of the dead persons were yet to be
ascertained by press time. The Post Express gathered
that a band of matchete - wielding youths dressed in
black, on Friday afternoon, invaded Bori town and
disrupted commercial and transport activities.
Witnesses said the youths instilled fear into the
populace as well as caused severe bodily injuries to
their victims.
Meanwhile, the two MOSDOP factions which organised the
activities for the Ogoni matyrs at two separate venues
simulianconsly in Bori, have claimed that the
unidentified youths disrupted their activities.
While the Ledum Mitee mainstream MOSOP said it had
concluded its own ceremonies when about 20 armed
youths invaded its venue, the Patrick Naangbanton said
their own programme was still in progress when it was
disrupted. 
"The memorial events which had taken the form of a
Church service, attended by around 3000 Ogoni people,
had been concluded successfully without any incident,
when a number of armed youths entered the premises
of Birabi Memorial Grammar School after most of the
crowd had departed,"said a statement signed by
Bari-ara Kpalap of the Mittee group Kpalap said that
few people who were still in the vicinity during the
invasion,
were forced to leave but another source in the group
claimed that afterwards, the youths pulled down the
canopies and destroyed the chairs as well as the
vehicle hired by the Reuters News Agency reporters
crew, which had its wind screens shattered and the
body smashed.
Kpalap, who expressed shock at the incident, pointed
accusing fingers at the other MOSOP faction.
Also reacting to the incident, the Deputy National
President, Barisuatam Deeyeh and the Secretary, Mr.
Patrick Naangbanton, of the Noble Nwibari
break- away faction of MOSOP, condemned the disruption
of its activities but said they would not be deftered
form pursuing the realisation of the Ogoni
Bill of Rights.
Their statement read in part: "MOSOP as part of its
week-long activities was holding its programme at the
open field of the Finimale Nwika Conference
Centre (in the Khana Council Secretariat), the final
programme scheduled for November 10, 2000 had
commenced with drama presentation, amidst cultural
displays and solidarity speeches by MOSOP activists
and fraternal
organisations of groups and people of the Niger Delta,
when abruptly, persons armed with cutlasses and other
dangerous weapons invaded the solemn assembly and
forcibly dispersed it at about 2.30 p.m. (Nigerian
time).
The group described the action as provocative violent
actions emanating from adversaries of the Ogoni
struggle and peoples.
As both groups renewed their commitment to
non-violence struggle, the Nwibari group urged people
of good conscience to continue to support them
while the Mitee group called for full police
investigations into the matter. 

Copyright © 2000 Post Express. Distributed by
allAfrica.com. 

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