As Ijaw leader condemns killing

By Egufe Yafugborho & Tare Youdeowei

WARRI—The Nigerian Navy has begun an enquiry into the circumstances surrounding alleged killing of one Bernard Pius on Thursday by a naval officer at Tebujor Okpelama, a Gbaramatu community in Warri South-West Local Government Area of Delta State.

This came as Chief Beck Hitler condemned the killing and also urged the Commander, Nigerian Navy Ship, NNS Delta, Commodore Raimi Mohammed, to warn his officers to stop further killings in Gbaramatu Kingdom.

This was revealed at a meeting convened, weekend, by Commodore Mohammed, Commader, Nigerian Navy Ship, NNS, Delta, Warri Naval Base, with Gbaramatu leaders on the way forward over the incident which aggravated anger in the communities over military presence in the area.

Chief Godspower Gbenekama, the Bebenowei (Chief Mobilizer) of Gbaramatu Kingdom, who conveyed the corpse to a Warri mortuary on Friday and was present at the meeting, said the Navy also called for calm in the community.

“The Navy told us to talk to the folks back home where anger has been building. You are aware that I have already started calming frayed nerves immediately the unfortunate incident happened. It is worthwhile that an enquiry has been set up into the matter.

“We made it clear that justice must be done on this extra-judicial killing of an unarmed Gbaramatu son. The impunity with which the officer killed Pius is inciting but we are doing our best to stay on the side of peace, law and order.”

Meanwhile, a leader in Gbaramatu Kingdom, Chief Beck Hitler, has urged the Commander, Nigerian navy Ship, NNS Delta, Commodore Raimi Mohammed, to warn his officers to stop further killings in Gbaramatu kingdom.

Hitler, a prominent chief in Gbaramatu, in a statement yesterday in Warri, said the deployment of Navy officers to Gbaramatu over the recent attacks on pipelines by suspected militants, was not a licence for Naval officers to kill innocent indigenes in the area.

The marine expert, noted that the victim, late Pius, was allegedly shot dead at a jetty in Tebujor Okpelama, where he was scooping sand, the only source of his living until he met his untimely death.