The first consultative meeting called by Ogoni leaders in response to the appeal from President Bola Tinubu to discuss outstanding Ogoni issues ended in a protest on Saturday at Bori.
Protesting Ogoni youths invaded the venue and chased out the conveners of the meeting, just before the meeting ended. The conveners included Senator Barry Mpigi, Mr. Ledum Mitee, Chief Victor Giadom, Prof. Baridam, Mr. Yom Orange, and Archbishop Ignatius Kattey.
The meeting was scheduled at the hall of the Peace and Freedom Centre in Bori, Khana Local Government Area of Rivers State. It had hardly begun when a huge crowd of people drawn from the four local government areas overwhelmed the hall.
The conveners then moved the meeting to the open field to capture more people. But the crowd was uncontrollable, even as the leaders called for calm.
The leaders had hardly started to speak when the crowd became uncontrollable as the venue was invaded by protesters with placards, some of which asked for a supposed $300 million Ogoni fund alleged to have been cornered by a former governor to be released to the Ogoni.
Panic ensued as the protesters began to use the plastic seats as missiles and sent people scampering. The Ogoni leaders immediately escaped into their vehicles and sped out of the place.
