South-South Governors Want Soldiers Out Of Niger Delta Communities

Governors of the South-South geopolitical zone have decried the involvement of the military in community, boundary and family disputes in the Niger Delta.
The governors, who met in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State capital on Tuesday at the 12th Meeting of the BRACED Commission, called for the immediate withdrawal of the military from occupied communities in the region to allow displaced villagers to return to their homes and lives.
In a nine-point communiqué issued at the end of the meeting, the governors condemned the killing of 17 officers and men of the Nigerian Army at Okuama in Delta State and condolences to the Commander-in-chief, the military hierarchy and the families of the bereaved officers.
They called on the Federal Government to set up a high-powered commission of inquiry to unearth what transpired at Okuama to avoid such recurrences; but demanded that the Federal Government should properly define the missions of the troops deployed to the region.
“Involvement in community, boundary, business or family disputes should not be part of the military operational mission. Council also appealed to the military to allow the villagers return home and resume their normal life,” the governors said.
The meeting was presided over by the Governor of Edo State, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, who is the Chairman of the BRACED Commission Governors’ Council. It had the Governor of Bayelsa, Senator Douye Diri, the Deputy Governor of Delta State, Monday Onyeme and his Akwa Ibom counterpart, Senator Akon Eyakenyi in attendance.
They commended the Federal Government for commencing work on the Lagos – Calabar highway but asked for work to be expedited on the East-West road.
“​Council noted the persistent poor state of electricity in the region despite huge investments in the power sector by successive governments of the region. It therefore called on the power companies operating in the region to work more closely with the state governments to ensure the operationalization of the new Electricity Act of 2023,” the communiqué said.