The military has barricaded the Ijaw House, Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, venue of a meeting called by ex-militant leader, Government Ekpemupolo, alias Tompolo.
Ijaw (Izon) House is the administrative headquarters of the Ijaw National Congress, IYC and it accommodates the Bayelsa State Ministry of Ijaw National Affairs and Culture.
A combined team of military and police officers in the early hours of Friday invaded and took over the Ijaw House, ostensibly to prevent ex-Niger Delta agitators from having their proposed meeting on Saturday.
The Bayelsa State Governor, Seriake Dickson, had earlier cancelled the meeting called by Tompolo, former leader of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta.
Dickson had said he would convene a meeting with the ex-agitators in no distant time to discuss issues affecting the Niger Delta and the whole country.
However, in its reaction to the invasion, the IYC, in a statement by its spokesman, Eric Omare, said the development was illegal, unconstitutional and a sad reminder of the dark days of the military dictatorship, where Nigerians were deprived of their fundamental rights.
The group said, “The IYC wishes to remind the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari, that we are in a constitutional democracy where things are done according to law.
“The 1999 Constitution, which is the foundation upon which our democracy is built, recognises the right to freedom of assembly and movement.
“The Niger Delta people, whether as ex-agitators or youth groups, have the right to assembly in a meeting and free movement.
“Since Friday, July 24, 2015, all officers and administrative staff of the INC and IYC, including Bayelsa State civil servants under the Bayelsa State Ministry of Ijaw National Affairs and Culture, have been denied access to the premises.
“This is a threat to our nascent democracy. Democracy is not only about having rice and beans to eat but the enjoyment of basic and fundamental rights which are enshrined and guaranteed in the constitution. The fears of many Nigerians that Buhari would take Nigeria back to the dark days of dictatorship, where there is no regard for human rights, are coming to reality.”
The IYC said it would take legal action to address the violation, noting that whether Buhari liked it or not, the Niger Delta people would meet to determine their destinies in Nigeria
