By Okiemute Okpomor Forty-eight days after the arrest of 10 youths by the Joint Military Task Force (JTF) during their search for the Niger Delta Avengers in Gbaramatu Kingdom, the women and students of Gbaramatu kingdom in Warri South West Local Government Area of Delta State have given the Federal Government a seven-day ultimatum to release their children.
The women and students of Gbaramatu KINGDOM gave this ultimatum during a peaceful protest in Warri, demanding the immediate release of all those arrested by the military.
According to the women, the youths arrested by the JTF during the militarization of their communities were not members of any militant groups but school children who were getting set to write exams.
Speaking on behalf of the women, Chief Vero Tangbowei, National Leader of Ijaw Women accused the Federal Government of oppressing the people of Gharamatu kingdom by wrongfully labeling their children as militants.
According to Chief Tangbowei, “if the Federal comes out and tell us that they have killed our children, then they should be ready to kill all of us. We are giving them seven days ultimatum and if they do not allow us to see our children we all will march to Abuja and they will kill all of us. Buhari government has sent the army to kill our children, but today we are asking them to bring back our children for us. They should bring our innocent children back to us.”
She alleged that the youths were dragged out of their beds in the middle of the night and whisked away to unknown destination adding that they later read in the newspapers that their children were militants, an allegation she denied.
The women therefore, called on the federal government, to as a matter of urgency, release their children or be ready to arrest all Gbaramatu women when they will stage a mass protest to Abuja after the expiration of the ultimatum.
The Ijaw Woman Leader said as mothers of the arrested children, they deserved the right to know the whereabouts of their children since they we’re arrested.
She further said the mothers were worried that their children might have been killed by the security men that arrested them since no one knows their whereabouts saying that the federal government should give them assurance that their children are alive by allowing the mothers
to see their children.
She spoke further, “for the past two months the army has taken over our community. When they came, they took some of our children away saying that they were members of Niger Delta Avengers. Our children are not members of Avengers; they are ordinary students and cooks. For
the past two months, we have not heard from these children. If you arrest somebody why don’t you take them to court? But in this case, it is not so and we believe that they have killed our children.
“They should give us our children. Look at some of the mothers of the children that they have taken away. They are crying day and night because they do not know if their children are alive or not. Now I know that the police and the army are liars. They arrested our innocent children and put guns in their hands and label them as criminals. Our police can just arrest somebody and plant guns in their hands and write petition against.”
She added, “Gbaramatu people are peace loving people. Our children are not part of Avengers. They might have killed them and the mothers are worried and they are disturbing me, asking me where their children are. Some of these children are students and they are even supposed to write their WAEC.”
One of the mothers of those arrested, Mrs. Endurance Uyaotede, who was crying and rolling on the ground while speaking lamented that her son, Friday Oyaotede, is the only son she has, she said that for the past two months she has not been herself since the military arrested her son, stressing that his son was a good boy who does not know anything about the Niger Delta Avengers.
Mrs. Uyaotode added, “my son is not a militant and I am using this medium to tell Buhari to release my son for me. The name of my son is Friday and I am not happy that my boy is taken away from me. This is a child that I breast-fed for two years and now that he has grown up
they want to take him away. I want to see my child ooooh. Please tell federal government to release my son for me. He is the only one that I have in this world (starts crying).”
Another mother, Mrs. Rona Odiki said; “My son was sleeping in the house when they came to whisked him away at midnight. I have not seen my son for the past two months and we are beginning to get worried because we do not know if he is alive or not. My son is a small boy and he is not a member of any militant group. We are pleading with the Federal Government to release our children for us because they are innocent.”
Also speaking, Com. Freeborn Abraye, National Assistant Secretary, National Association of Gbaramatu Students (NAGS) said the arrest of the students by the military was the height of oppression against the people of Gbaramatu kingdom.
He said; “Most of the students arrested are students of Gbaraun Grammar School, Oporoza community. They were all whisked away while they were sleeping. Most of them were supposed to write the last SSCE exams but because of the arrest they could not write it”.
Com. Abraye added, “These students are suffering for what they do not know anything about. It is now forty six days and we have not heard anything about them. We do not know how they are faring over there nor do we have a clue of where they are. We are calling on the Federal Government to release our students because they are not members of Niger Delta Avengers. We are appealing to President Buhari to release these students for us. They have missed their exams and they are now missing classes.”
