By Festus Ahon

ASABA—FOLLOWING the recent attack and destruction of property in Erhoike community, Ethiope East Local Government Area, Delta State, by suspected hoodlums suspected to from a neighbouring community, President General of the community, Mr. Matthiew Oyibocha has appealed to be security agencies to come to their  aid  to avert further attacks on the community’s indigenes.

From left, Benue state Commission of Police, AIG Zone 4, DIG Operations, IGP and Governor Ortom after the stakeholders meeting in Makurdi

Making the appeal at an interaction with newsmen, Oyibocha said: “We don’t know their next plan, because information reaching me and the people of the community is that, they said they will  also come back again to attack us. They are more numerous than us, so, l am using this medium to call on security agencies to assist us by doing their investigation and bring those people who were  involved in the  attack to book.”

“We don’t know the reason why they attacked us,  whether they want to wipe us out in order to take over  our oil benefits, we don’t know. And when the incident happen,  we reported the matter to  Isiokolo  Police Division, so, we are  waiting for their response.

“They said they are still coming back, so l have never seen a situation where community will attack another community without no reason, this is beyond our control.

“As we speak, some persons in the community  are nowhere to be found after the attack, whether they are dead now,  we don’t know, even those who are in the community are still living in fear of attack.

“Even the Chairman of the Local Government, Chief Mrs. Faith Majemite also came to  the community with her entourage  and saw  the property the hoodlums destroyed, we have been thinking before now that  action would have been taken against those  hoodlums, but nothing has been done.

“All we hear is that they want to settle us for what has been clarified by the state Commissioner,   Directorate of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs,  Sir, Onojafe Edejewhro. Whether it is because of that they want to kill us, we don’t know.”