Residents of Bolou – Tubegbe community , Burutu Local Government Area in Delta State has called on the Federal Government to come to their rescue as they were displaced as a result of military operations in the community.
Operatives of the military JTF, Bomadi Division, Nigerian Navy, Warri Command and Nigeria Airforce, Warri, in a combined anti-bunkering and sea piracy operation on December 10, 2020, stormed the Bolou-Tubegbe community.
Report says the operatives who came with gunboats and warplanes , burnt down houses, displacing over 5000 residents .
In a resolution signed by Chief Ebegha and others, the community issued the Federal Government a 21-day ultimatum to visit the community and address the plight of the people or face court action for misapplication of power.
“As elders and opinion leaders of Tubegbe and Bolou-Tubegbe communities, we hereby inform the Federal Government that indigenes of Bolou-Tubegbe are going through hell with utter abandonment.
“On 10th December, 2020, the Nigerian Navy, Nigerian Air Force, all from Warri, and JTF Bomadi and Warri commands invaded our community with four gunboats, two warplanes and burnt down our community.
“In the course of the invasion, about 5,000 indigenes have been rendered homeless as property worth billions of naira were destroyed in the community.
“We are going through hell. As law-abiding citizens, we waited patiently for government intervention for two months with no response. We are going through hell as epidemic outbreak, both airborne and water-borne, as well as hunger, are order of the day.
“The community contacted the JTF Commander, Bomadi Division, Captain Dominic, over the issue and he said that it was a normal routine anti-bunkering and sea piracy operation.
“We want to know from the Commander-in-chief, President Muhammadu Buhari, how a routine anti-bunkering and sea piracy operation should warrant burning down of a whole community which has existed for over 1000 years? “Note that Bolou-Tubegbe is not a militant camp, it is a community of law-abiding citizens under the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Some victims, women and children are still taking refuge in Tubegbe here.
“As law-abiding citizens, we will still wait for the Federal Government to visit the community to do the needful, failure to which we will seek redress in a competent court of law for misuse of power after 21 days of this Save-Our-Soul, SOS,” they added.