To avoid unnecessary friction that may lead to tension in the area, President Muhammadu Buhari has been advised to call for the immediate withdrawal of troops redeployed to some communities in the Niger Delta region.
A human rights activist, Ann-Kio Briggs, who gave the warning said the presence of soldiers in these communities particularly in the Gbaramatu community of Delta state could be agitating and was capable of causing tension in the area.
This is coming at a time when the Federal High court in Lagos ordered for the arrest of the ex-militant warlords for his refusal to honor several invitations by the EFCC.
Speaking in Port Harcourt, Rivers state capital at the weekend, Ann-Kio Briggs warned that if the idea of redeploying troops to the Delta community was to arrest Government Ekpemupolo, popularly called Tompolo, then “They should go through the due process of arresting anybody”.
“Tompolo has been doing legitimate business with the government over the years. I don’t know which law stipulates how to do business or otherwise. If the federal government has any issue with Tompolo, they should go through the due process of properly investigating him.
“You can’t send soldiers to destroy a community, arrest young men and rape women in the name of searching for Tompolo. If they claim that everybody in the Ijaw land is a criminal, does it also mean that everybody in the north is a member of Boko Haram?
“You cannot hold the traditional rulers responsible for Tompolo’s action or inaction. The attitude of the soldiers in the Ijaw communities is oppressive. The moment soldiers are restricted to a particular ethnic group in the country, it becomes very
Ann-Kio Briggs who is the spokesperson of the Ijaw Republican Assembly, IRA, said it was fundamentally wrong for soldiers to “invade” any community in search of their target, adding that such action was “not the way to address the issue of decades-long neglect of the Niger Delta region by every successive government”.
According to her, If Tompolo has been indicted for any wrong doing, he should be properly investigated but “there are officials in this government who have been indicted of embezzlement of public funds, yet they are walking about as freemen”.

Speaking further, the activist corrected that the search for the arrest of Tompolo should not be enough reason for the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi to cancel the Maritime University set up by the government of former President Goodluck Jonathan in Delta state.
She described as anti-Nigeria the cancellation of the university by the minister, stating that this is capable of generating “bad blood” between the north and the people of the Niger Delta region.
“Tompolo’s issue is not enough reason for anybody to cancel the maritime university. This is a shame. We in the Ijaw land deserve the equal share of every good thing in this country. If an aviation university is to be built in the north, why can’t somebody leave the maritime university in Delta!
Jonathan built about twelve new universities in his tenure and five of these universities were in the north. Why should anybody contemplate of denying Ijaw people the right of hosting a university on their land?”, she quipped
https://www.today.ng/news/national/79013/tompolo-withdraw-troops-from-niger-delta-ann-kio-briggs-warns-buhari

She's talking like a militant

Just wait and see

Good, we will always protect our own, the real criminals are walking freely and they want us to hand over our bravest. Niger Deltans are not the Idomas who want to throw their finest (David mark) away and settle for children who can't stand when the heat is on.

I support the Government of Government Tompolo

Noise maker

Don't know the brand of ogogoro some of these ND people even take that distorts their senses.
They just end up giving the good ones bad names.
Why can't this dimwit tell Tompolo to submit himself to court.This is d way they have allowed touts and militants become their leaders while good,honest,dedicated men waste away.

How many pipo Buhari wan fight

imagine talk, where you people nt there when he was summoned by a court to answer for himself. if u like cover him, it is just a matter of time you will nt have mouth to talk again,i pity the children, women and the elderly in that area because soon people will start shouting RULE OF LAW.
When two elephant fight, it is the ground that will feel the pain.

I think to some extent he is not wrong.

Madam, please go and slap one of the soldiers. Please look for a soldier with Igala or Kanuri tribal mark and slap him, not Ibadan or Ogbomoso soldier oo, then come back and tell me how your day has been.

simpleseyi:
Madam, please go and slap one of the soldiers. Please look for a soldier with Igala or Kanuri tribal mark and slap him, not Ibadan or Ogbomoso soldier oo, then come back and tell me how you day has been.

LoL... Y not ibadan?

so a militant is leader or a god in ijaw land? i'll watch with keen interest as the battle line is being drowned btween ijaw's government vs FRN.

Ecoterrorism:
I support the Government of Government Tompolo

me support the government of FRN

This woman is Hilarious. She's indirectly shielding a criminal declared wanted by the court.

What other Legitimate means is she talking about? Court asked him twice to show up, he didn't, now they are going after him, she has found her voice.

This is where you'll know the difference between activist and Cashivist.

in my next life I will make sure I never come to Africa

or else...

I always shudder at the way supposedly sane people defend impunity with so much bare face. I mean this foolish woman's argument borders on what an insane fellow will say. Someone has failed to honor invitation to defend himself and choose to evade arrest, and this piece of old hag comes with an open defence as moronnic as this..

henrydadon:
in my next life I will make sure I never come to Africa

More like regretting being African.

Ecoterrorism:
I support the Government of Government Tompolo

Me too!

Most commenters above are just obviously sentimental. The same people that were screaming 'abuse of human rights' when soldiers were deployed to Borno are the ones egging buhari on in the Niger delta, because of one person and pipe lines. Blo.ody hypocrites

Ok

Siddon dey look mode....

This woman thinks she's talking to that drunken fisherman. it was careless talk like this that made Jonathan not to provide a single borehole for Otueke. It took the intervention of outsiders for Otueke to have potable water after 6 years of an Ijaw man as President.

I know of a boy from the ND who made a 1st class in Law both at Uni and Law School. He later got an admission offer to Cambridge for his masters. He wrote to these vagabonds in power from the SS and non of them answered him even after pledging to work for them upon his return home. A British body gave him a scholarship and he ended up making a First class in law from Cambridge.

A graduate earns 19,800 per month but the smallest militant granted amnesty earns 5,000 per night on accommodation. Yet, the people are suffering. Old folks without healthcare and social benefits, the waters are poisoned and schools are gang recruitment centers.

Diezani was appointed a Director in Shell based on community quota, what did she do for her people? Kingsley Kuku was buying houses for runs girls he met on IG and the ND people are suffering. Asari Dokubo founded his university in Benin Republic far away from the reach of his people. Edwin Clark never did anything tangible for the ND people apart from marrying a new wife. This same Ms. Briggs was an adviser under Jonathan and made sure he was ruined with her selfishness.

The Niger Delta needs to find a way of flushing out these set of thieves they are bedeviled with otherwise, a thousand Jonathans can't help them.
After all, it is an Hausa man that ordered the clean up of the oil spill in the ND after their 'brother' refused to do it.

Ecoterrorism:
I support the Government of Government Tompolo

me i support the government of FRN

Nigeria is finished as a country.

Some of these Niger Delta 'activists' sef...

Most of them fed fat off the yams from the past Administration. That's why they are so resistant to change for the better.

payosehtor:
so a militant is leader or a god in ijaw land? i'll watch with keen interest as the battle line is being drowned btween ijaw's government vs FRN.

Yes...just like the thieves from your extraction!! Remove the worms in your Amala before thinking about the sharks in the ND creeks

Must everybody from this part of the country be a thug? I piety my generation!

I love her so much

Only because of tompolo na only ijaw people nai everybody know. What about we isoko? What about itsekiri? Urhobo? Okpe? We no get oil 2? Escravos na itsekiri land but how many people day hear their voice? Isoko lands get many oil well but how many people day hear their voice?
Abeg make them arrest tompolo once and for all make my land get peace.
Besides where them day find am go when everybody know say he day for Chevron clinic road Warri?
Government should stop fooling everyone. Everyone here @Warri know that he spends his 24 hours either @express road or @ogbe-ijaw Warri south south