Itsekiri leader and
chair, Itsekiri Regional Devlopment Council, IRDC, Warri, Delta State, Chief
Ayiri Emami, has said that he had no personal score to settle with former
leader of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, MEND, High
Chief Government Ekpemupolo, alias Tompolo. Chief Emami, who spoke to
Saturday Vanguard on phone, said, “I must also note that no amount of blackmail
by pockets of sponsored persons from Gbaramatu or threat to my life will
intimidate me.”The IRDC chair, who was reacting to the request by an Ijaw group
to the Olu of Warri, HRM Ikenwoli I, to call him to order, asserted, “It amazes
me how sometimes some group of persons make statements as if they have monopoly
of violence, mistaking Nigeria to be a banana republic.” His words, “The
President Muhammadu Buhari administration has shown the capacity to crush any
form of insurrection, sabotage and lawlessness as experienced in the battle
against Shii’tes , IPOB and Boko Haram. As what obtains anywhere in the world
and even in Nigeria in the case of local vigilantes assisting the military with
intelligence, I have every right to offer intelligence to the military whenever
called upon.”
“Maybe those,
who criticized my noble assistance to the military when the massive economic
sabotage was carried out for three days through the bombing of vital crude and
gas pipelines located in Itsekiri host communities, Warri South West Local
Government Area, which led to the loss of 600 megawatts of
electricity. “Shutting down of Kaduna as well as Port-Harcourt Refineries
and the loss of billions of naira to our economy have forgotten that I was once
the chairman of Delta Waterways Security Committee and current chairman of
Chevron established Itsekiri Regional Development Committee, IRDC,” he said.
Emami stated,
“Criminality has nothing to do with ethnic or personal interest and I do not
need to be an appointee of the Federal or Delta State Government to contribute
my quota to the fight against economic sabotage.” “I must stress that my
position against bombing of pipelines will not cause any crisis between Ijaw
and Itsekiri, so nobody should hide criminality under the guise of blackmailing
Chief Ayirimi Emami.
“If persons perceived
to be loyal to me were responsible for the recent bombing of pipelines, I am
sure by now, it would have been exposed,” he added. The Itsekiri leader
asserted: “Nigerians are now too wise to be deceived and I will not be deterred
in my responsibility towards this great nation by contributing my quota towards
protecting our national assets no matter the odds.”
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