By Dan Gumm
LAGOS — THE Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN) has demanded the immediate and unconditional release of an ERA/FoEN staff, five other activists and two journalists, who visited Ogoniland to witness a protest by aggrieved Ogoni people whose farmlands were being surveyed by heavily-armed military men preparatory to establishing a military cantonment.

The protest which started from Sogho community in the Khana Local Government Area of Ogoni, Rivers State, spread to other parts of Ogoniland, including Korokoro in the Tai Local Government Area where heavily-armed thugs associated with a known paramount ruler in the area beat up the activists and confiscated the cameras of the journalists, seized their mobile phones and other personal belongings. The activists were subsequently handed over to a police team of 10 from the nearby police post in Nonwa in the Tai LGA who were lurking around.

Activists arrested include Michael Kanikpo head of ERA/FoEN Port Harcourt Office, members of the Ogoni Solidarity Forum(OSF) and others whose identity are yet to be known as at the time of the issue of this release. Tekena Amaofiori, a correspondent of the African Independent Television (AIT) and a camera man whose name is still unknown were also arrested.