Amanyanabo of Abonnema bemoans, laments deaths of his people, role of military

…As RSG, Army Panel, visit him over election violence

The Amanyanabo of Abonnema, His Gracious Majesty, King (Barr.) Disrael Gbobo Bob-Manuel (ii), Owukori (ix), has bemoaned and lamented the unfortunate deaths of scores of Nyemoni people following the violence that characterized the Presidential and National Assembly Elections of February 23, 2019.
The Amanyanabo, who spoke when the Fact-Finding Committees of the Rivers State Government and the Nigerian Army paid him condolence visits at his palace separately on Friday 22nd of March and Monday 25th of March respectively, lamented that the community went through harrowing experience, such that was not even felt during the Nigerian Civil War.
The Monarch informed the Rivers State Government’s Committee, headed by the Deputy Governor, Dr. (Mrs.) Ipalibo Harry-Banigo, that the Nyemoni people were grateful to the State Government for its prompt response to the crisis and for constituting the committee to investigate and unravel the remote and immediate causes of the crisis and give necessary assistance to the families of victims of the violence.
He disclosed that the community was still greatly traumatized and yet to recover from its losses as homes, including his palace, were invaded, hospitals, schools, churches were raided and so many persons bled to death due to lack of access to medical facility occasioned by the complete siege laid on the community by the military, as they tried to identify persons who were suspected to have killed an army officer.
The Deputy Governor expressed shock at the extent of damage and loss of lives, assuring that the State Government would always stand by the people of Abonnema because of their unwavering support for the Nyesom Wike-led administration.
While condemning the unnecessary waste of lives over a mere election, Dr. Banigo declared that “God will execute vengeance with fury on perpetrators of the heinous crime at the set time” and expressed confidence that “victory was sure for Governor Wike”, adding that Rivers people freely gave him their mandate and no anti-democratic force could stop God’s ordination.
The Monarch gave her the traditional gifts of a bible and wrapper representing the love of the people of Nyemoni.
Also, the Investigative Panel of the Nigerian Army during their visit, commiserated with the Amanyanabo and people of Abonnema over the tragic losses of lives which occurred on both sides, assuring the Monarch that the Army would thoroughly investigate the matter and bring the perpetrators to book.
The Army Delegation led by Major-General Taritimiye Ayibakuro Gagariga, noted that the military high command, as a professional organization, set up the Committee following widespread allegations of partisanship of the military during the elections, with a view to ascertaining the conducts of the Nigerian Army personnel during the elections.
Major-General Gagariga appealed to the people to cooperate with the military by coming up with verifiable facts and relevant information that could aid the military in the success of its investigation and compiling of an objective report, assuring that nobody would be victimized.
While responding to the Army Delegation, the Amanyanabo of Abonnema, expressed gratitude to the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai, for constituting the Fact-Finding Committee, assuring that the community would give full support to the Army Panel, because it was the community’s desire to find out who sponsored the bandits and thugs that unleashed the carnage on them and also to expose the military personnel involved in the killings.
He apprised that the community had lived peacefully with the military for several years without such reports and were indeed the ones that wrote to the Federal Government in 2008 to request that the military be posted to the area to guard against pirate attacks and attacks by cultists.
He however lamented that the action taken against his people by the military as a result of the violence unleashed by thugs and bandits, was unfortunate and dehumanizing.
The Amanyanabo gave the leader of the delegation the traditional gifts of a bible and a Kalabari wrapper, representing the love of the Nyemoni people.
The Army delegation later met and interacted with several mourners, garbed in black attires, where the Committee sympathized with them and urged them to freely approach the Committee with useful information that would aide them in their investigations.

Picture (1) Amanyanabo presenting a gift to the Deputy Governor, Dr. Banigo and Picture (2) shows the Amanyanabo with Major-General  Gagariga.