SAN FRANCISCO, August 04, (THEWILL) – A group, Ajapa Youth Movement (AYM), in Efe-Odo Local Government Area of Ondo State has raised the alarm over what it called the unlawful acts of an ex-militant leader, Chief Bibor Ajube (aka Shoot at Sight), whom it accused of terrorising the community.
In a statement issued by the spokesman of the group, Mr. Ebi Krokemefatei in Warri, Delta State and made available to THEWILL, the group alleged that the ex-militant leader who was a former field commander of the outlawed MEND, has been making life unbearable for indigenes of Ajapa community and its environs who it said he deprived of plying their trade of fishing and farming.
The group said that the ex-militant leader, a loyalist of former militant warlord, Chief Government Ekpemupolo (aka Tompolo), who reportedly worked for former President Goodluck Jonathan through the former Presidential Amnesty Coordinator, Kingsley Kuku, has been using security agents with his foot-soldiers to harass and arrest persons perceived to be clamouring for change in the community during the presidential elections and had voted against Jonathan.
Krokemefatei said that indigenes of the community since the general election can no longer fish or farm in their land because of the activities of the former militant leader who they accused of erecting “militant barracks” all over the community despite the amnesty programme, which forbids militancy in the Niger Delta region.
“Ajapa community is aggrieved because of the activities of one Chief Bibor Ayube, who has gone to erect what we called ‘barracks’ in our community and has been terrorising, harassing and arresting people indiscriminately in our community.
“Our youths have long ago accepted amnesty, we are no longer into militancy but ‘Gen,’ Shoot-at-sight, wouldn’t let us rest with his militancy activities. Ajapa community doesn’t want to be part and parcel of his militancy. So we are begging the state government and the federal government to prevail on Ayube to come and remove his camps from our community,” the statement said.
The statement alleged that the ex-militant leader who allegedly erected his militant camps around the community and the entire Arogbo Kingdom often use military personnel who are providing him security in the area to harass innocent villagers who he perceived as opponents.
“He has been targeting people who didn’t work with him during the elections, and because of fear, our people who usually throw net in the river no longer go near the rivers. Ajube and his foot-soldiers go about the community terrorising everyone, he even uses military personnel from JTF in Koko and Okitipupa who often give him security cover,” the group added.
The youth group said that troubled started in the area after the general elections where the community voted for ‘change’ and against the wishes of the former militant leader.
“Ajapa community was firm during the last election, we fought for change alongside ‘Gen’ O.C Ibori who stood for change but since then we haven’t known peace. Ayube has been coming to Ajapa to arrest youths indiscriminately and take them to Akuru and Lagos for no just reason. He is doing this because we supported ‘change’ and voted for change in our community,” the group saod.
While disassociating itself from militancy, the group said; “We don’t want his camps, we need secondary schools, we need pipe borne water, we need electricity and not militant camps. We are therefore calling on President Muhammadu Buhari to direct him to remove his camps from our communities.”
