Soldiers have razed over 50 houses in Toru-Ndoro community, Bayelsa State in a hunt for an alleged soldier killer who allegedly beheaded their colleague.
a body of Ijaw youths and the Ijaw Youth Council Worldwide, have appealed with the authorities to arrest the suspects rather than the bombing and razing of buildings.
The soldiers were deployed by their superiors on Saturday in search of suspected culprits who allegedly beheaded a soldier.
Mr. Eric Omare the President of IYC, said they had received many distress phone calls from the citizens about soldiers who had invaded and razed more than 50 houses.
On Sunday Omare stated “From Saturday, January 6 to the early hours of Sunday, January 7, 2018, the IYC has received several distress calls from residents of Toru-Ndoro community to the effect that military officers on a manhunt for alleged killers of a security operative have invaded and burnt more than 50 houses.
The IYC in the strongest terms condemns the alleged decapitation of a security operative by some criminals operating within the Ndoro area and we strongly support efforts to bring the perpetrators of the heinous crime to justice.
However, we hold the strong view that it is extremely wrong and condemnable for security agents to invade and burn down an entire community in the name of looking for criminals, just as it has happened in other Niger Delta communities such as Odi in Bayelsa State, Ajapa in Ondo State, Ajakarama in Delta State and now Toru-Ndoro in Bayelsa.
We demand that the few persons who are involved in criminality should be separated from the rest of the community and made to face the full weight of the law.
The IYC, the Ijaw nation in particular and Niger Deltans, in general, do not support the activities of the few criminal elements.
We have, several times, expressed our determination to work with security agencies to fish out these criminals because it is not our way of life.”