The group of Ijaw youths, the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC), has spoken up about the recent activities of suspected Niger Delta Militants in Lagos state.
The group stated that the ijaw people were not behind the violent onslaughts on communities in Lagos and Ogun states by militants lamenting that some people intentionally credited such criminalities to Ijaw to cause ethnic war between Ijaw and their Yoruba neighbours.
Udengs Eradiri, the president of the group, revealed this to the press at the headquarters of the council in Yenagoa, Bayelsa state.
He said: “There are some groups in Lagos engaged in criminal activities and those activities are now threatening the brotherly relationship our people have enjoyed in Lagos.
“First, Nigeria should stop ascribing anything that happened in the Niger Delta to Ijaw people. For the avoidance of doubt, Niger Delta Avengers are not Ijaw people. I am tired of answering questions about Niger Delta Avengers
“I am the president of the Ijaw Youth Council. I am not the president of NDA. NDA are not Ijaw people. We don’t know who Niger Delta Avengers are. If the security agencies know avengers, they should arrest them. They should do their jobs.
“They should stop transferring their jobs to community leaders or youth Organisations or leaders of ethnic nationalities. Their duty is to maintain law and order, to gather intelligence and do whatever they deem fit to ensure that there is peace in the country.
“Please stop ascribing negative things to Ijaw people. We are the fourth largest ethnic nationalities in Nigeria and I agree that we are the people who refuse to eat sand and call it food. But that does not mean that every little thing that happens in the region will be ascribed to Ijaw people”.