Civil Society Organizations and victims of the killings in the Ogoni axis of Rivers state have appealed to the Federal government to do everything possible to restore lasting peace in the area.
The victims made the appeal while narrating the alleged role of the military in the incident that led to the killing of some people in Bori, Zaakpor, Yeghe and Bunu, all in Ogoni to the House committee on Army in Port Harcourt.
Those who spoke at the public hearing accused the opposition political party in the state, APC of inviting the military to Ogoni.
They accused the Army of extra-judicial killings allegedly orchestrated by two leading candidates of the All Progressives Congress in Ogoni; Senator Magnus Abe and Bari Mpigi.
After listening to the testimonies of the group and victims, the House Committee on Army said it will hear from the security operatives and those alleged to have sponsored the military invasion on Ogoni.
Leader of the Committee on Army, Rimamde Shawulu Kwewum said due process must be followed by the committee before it comes out with its resolution.
“We are not here to witch-hunt anybody. We are only in Rivers state to carry-out our constitutional responsibilities as bridge builders. As you can see – to the left are some PDP members, to my right, I have APC and also a member of APGA. We are about 16 of us in this committee and that tells you we are bi-partisan.
“We will need to take all sides of the story so we can be objective in our resolution to the House of Representatives. We will need to listen to the security chiefs again but that will be when we go back to Abuja.
“But we assure you that we will resolve all the issues that may cause crisis in Ogoni. That is our priority,” he stated.
The House Committee on Army is expected to visit all the areas in Ogoni where there were reports of military harassment.
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