Letter to the President of Nigeria - Mr. Umaru Yara'Dua

EBIRA VONYA INTERNATIONAL

To: The President of Federal Republic of Nigeria
His Excellency, Mr. Umaru Yara'Dua
Nigeria

From: The People of Ebira Origin in Diaspora
(Ebira Vonya International)
Date: April 5, 2008

Dear Sir:

The Ogaminana Massacre

On behalf of Ebira Vonya International (EVI), an organization formed in 2004 in Atlanta, U.S.A, to promote unity and peace among Ebira people, we are writing to you regarding the recent conflict between Ebira youths and the unit of police mobile force deployed to Ebira land to mitigate the interception of the truck loads transporting iron ore concentrates from Itakpe to Port Harcourt by the youths.
First of all, we would like to commend your government on the efforts taken thus far to ensure that the various clans in Ebiraland live in harmony. The recent election held in Ebiraland is a living testimony to the commitment by your government to ensure that the violence that has deprived the people of Ebiraland their pride and peaceful living is brought to an end. Even though we do not reside in Nigeria, we remain loyal to the country doing every thing possible to project a good image and integrity of the country. Ebiraland has been plagued by violence and clannish hatred over the past three decades with the situation reaching a climax over the last several years. Many innocent people have lost their lives and many more were rendered homeless as they lost their houses and other properties in the wake of the continued violence.

The Ebira people have loathed for a resolution to the violence for a long time. The recent incident in Ogaminana was caused by the same youths who have been the culprits of the violence in Ebiraland but it was the innocent people of Ogaminana that ended paying the price. The overall impact of this on the lives of the people is the complete lack of security in their own land and lack of belief in their government. We understand that the federal government has the responsibility of maintaining order and peace in her society, which is why the government deployed mobile police force to seek resolution to the interception of truck loads of iron ore concentrates by the youths. However, the situation went out of hand resulting in indiscriminate killing of people that left 50 innocent peoples dead and 5000 others without houses. We also understand that the Kogi State government has not properly briefed the federal government on the issue. We would like the federal government to be aware that innocent people (elders (women and men) and kids) were killed in the most barbaric way in the wake of the conflict between the youths and the mobile police force. The youths that intercepted the truck loads of iron ore concentrates have no right to act in this manner; the Itakpe and Ajaokuta Steel Company do not belong to the Ebira people; these are the property of Nigeria. Therefore, these youths deserve to be brought to justice under the Nigerian law. Many Ebirans are angered by the indiscriminate killings by the mobile police force and this anger will not go away soon. The result could be undesirable as this could cultivate other social problems in the long hull. The ultimate result could be undesirable as the people could forever treat the mobile police force with contempt. This can generate further conflict, which will be destabilizing to Nigeria in the end.
We urge the government to consider healing the damage caused by the mobile police force in Ogaminana by compensating the families of the dead ones and those without houses with some material relief. If this is done, the government will re-invent her good relationship with the people and prevent unwanted turmoil in the future. We are suggesting that the government should consider addressing the affected people and/or the people of Ebiraland on this issue. The government should also consider launching an investigation into this incident to ensure that all parties (both the Ebira youths, who initiated the problem and the mobile police force) are held responsibility and brought to justice.
Our association, EVI, is planning on providing some help to the victims of this horrific act.
We thank you for taking the time to read this letter and appreciate your prompt action on this issue.
Kind regards,

Signed by:

Dr. Sunday Okomanyi Abraham
General Secretary

Dr. Joseph Ozigis Akomodi
National President

Mr. Abdullahi Bello
National Chairman