A group, under the aegis of Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) Worldwide, has frowned at the killing of four soldiers and two drivers by yet-to-be-identified gunmen in Abua-Odual Local Government Area of Rivers State. Mr Binebi Princewill, spokesman for IYC, in a statement issued in Warri, Delta State, on behalf of the group said, “We also condemn in its entirety the kidnapping of two South Korean expatriates during the attack as we call on whoever that is behind the act to urgently release the foreigners.”
The IYC, while condemning the killing, described it as “barbaric and highly unacceptable”. The statement, read thus, “Such kidnapping, attack, and killing are not in line with the Ijaw and Niger Delta struggles for resource control and self-determination and have nothing to do with the struggle.
“It is a clear case of criminality and a setback to efforts towards peace and stability of the region. We therefore call on the relevant security agencies to bring to justice the perpetrators of this heinous crime to serve as deterrents to others.
“However, we call on the military to display the utmost professionalism in their quest to get the perpetrators of this crime to book.
“The innocent people of Abua-Odual Local Government Area and its neighboring local governments in Rivers and Bayelsa must not be subjected to unnecessary pain in the attempt to get the criminals,” the statement read.
