By Godwin Egba
Port-Harcourt
December 2014 would have ended on a sad note for Nigeria’s Oil and Gas Free Zone, Rivers State, and its immediate host community (Onne), as youths from the community and those from Wakirike Okrika would have clashed two weeks to the end of the year.
The industrial, oil and gas business community was alarmed by the invasion of aggrieved youths from Wakirike Okrika community who stormed the port to demand what they alleged were their community’s rights.
Daily Independent reporter, who visited the port was informed that the youths stormed the Federal Ocean Terminal (FOT) access gate of the port at about 6.00 am and were led by their community chairman named Comrade Solomon Mangibofor in what they called a “peaceful demonstration’’.
The youths wanted to forcefully gain access into the port that houses about 200 multinational companies but the port police stopped them.
Our correspondent gathered that the youths invaded the port to meet with the management of the Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA), the Onne oil and gas zone authority and Intel Nigeria Limited, all in the port to express their grievances.
Their grouse was that their community was not included as co-host community of the port. Our source stated that the youths stormed the port, chanting solidarity songs. Information then filtered into the Onne community, the immediate host community to the port free zone and its youths mobilised themselves to confront the Okrika youths.
The port manager, Alhaji Umar Munir, who confirmed the incident while speaking with Daily Independent in his office, said the irate youths stormed the port in about 10 buses. Munir disclosed that before they got to the Federal Ocean Terminal access gate, NPA management had received a security report that the youths were coming to the port to stage a demonstration over what they called non-inclusion of their community as the Port co-host community.
The port manager disclosed that the Okrika community had earlier taken management of the NPA, Intels Nigeria Limited and the Onne Oil and Gas Free Zone Authority to court over their non-recognition as a co-host community but said the court has not given its final verdict on the matter. He said the demonstration was uncalled for.
Munir said a combined team of security operatives successfully repelled the youths and prevented them from doing any damage to the facility.
The Onne youths accused the Okrika youths of invading a port that was sited in their land without the consent of the Onne community chiefs and elders.
Sources revealed that the Onne youths started attacking the Okrika group with stones but the port police intervened and prevented the situation from degenerating into a full blown war between the two groups. The police dispersed the two aggrieved groups with teargas though no arrest was made.
In his reaction to the incident, the paramount ruler of Onne community, His Royal Highness, Chief J.D, Osaronu, who also confirmed the incident said that as soon as information got to him, he quickly alerted the army commander in the area, (JTF), Port Police commissioner and his deputy and the divisional police commander all stationed in Onne.
The royal father said he was informed that the Okrika youths stormed the port and closed all the access roads leading to the important areas of the port complex and were chanting songs and dancing like cultists.
However, the various security agencies rose up to the occasion, the clash was averted and they ensured that the use of dangerous weapons did not take place.
Osaronu also stated that he had to send a peace message to the Okrika community to stop further confrontation because their youths threatened to come back and deal with the Onne youths.
According to him, the Okrika people have no reasonable claim of ownership over the port, saying that several competent courts had faulted and ruled against their claim in favour of the Onne people as the rightful and immediate host community to the port free zone.
The chief recalled that the then governor of Rivers State, Chief Melford Okilo, in 1977 and 1980 acquired a large part of the port for the Federal Government measuring 2,538.175 hectares and the Okrikan people did not lay any claim of ownership to the land, pointing out the Onne community only had issues with the Ogu people in Ogu-Bolo local government area of Rivers State over the land surrounding the port. He said the two communities went to court in 1981 and the case was decided by the Late Justice Graham Douglas in favour of Onne community and that the Ogu people also lost the same case at the Appeal Court in Enugu.
The royal father cited the Late Justice Charles Granville, who chaired a commission over the Onne land in question, stating that, “the commission ascertained that the land areas right down to the water edge or coastline belongs to the Elemes, and that even the 1000 feet from the high water mark allowed them by both the Arbitration panel and court of competent jurisdiction was given to the Okrikans by Eleme for settlement for trading purposes only”.
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