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Suspected Itsekiri youths attack Ijaw protesters in Warri over removed royal banners.
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Four victims sustain gunshot and machete injuries; one in critical condition.
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Ijaw Youth Council accuses Warri South Council Chairman and Olu of Itsekiri.
Four persons have been left injured following an attack Ijaws on a peaceful march by suspected Itsekiri youths on Tuesday.
The incident follows the removal of the 10th coronation anniversary banners of HRM Couple Oromoni, the Pere of Ogbe-Ijoh Kingdom, by Itsekiri youths, in company of police officers from the command.
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The development sparked protests by Ijaw youths, who marched to the Area Command to demand the retrieval of the banners and their immediate replacement.
Videos monitored by our correspondent showed the Ijaw group led by the Area Commander ACP Imade Graham to restore the removed banners in their positions.
However, things took a chaotic turn when suspected Itsekiri youths opened fire on the Ijaw marchers when they approached the Ekurude area.
Four persons received gunshot wounds, with one of the victims (names withheld) still left in a critical condition.
READ ALSO:Police conniving with Itsekiri to threaten peace in Warri – IYC
An eyewitness, Prince Seibi, narrated that the Itsekiris proceeded to use machete on the victim in order to finish him off on the spot, but he still managed to survive.
“We were on a peaceful march to restore the banners of our king when the Itsekiris opened fire on us. After opening fire on us, we all scampered, and they proceeded to cut our brother with machetes in order to kill him on the spot, but he is still alive and responding to treatment, though his condition is critical”, Seibi said.
Another victim identified as Isaac Ogeledeine was dragged out of a commercial tricycle and attacked by the Itsekiri youths.
The development has further heightened tension in the volatile city, with different groups calling on the state and federal governments to intervene and prevent a crisis.
IYC blames Council Chairman, Olu of Itsekiri
The Ijaw Youth Council Western Zone fingered the Warri South Council Chairman, Wayemi Agbass, as mastermind of the condemnable act on the orders of the Olu of Itsekiri, Atuwatse III.
The group labeled the attempt to remove the banners of the Ogbe-Ijoh king as a decoy to cause war while accusing the police of conniving with the Itsekiri ethnic nationality to spread falsehood.
“The attention of the Ijaw Youth Council Western Zone has been drawn to an incident of police officers attached to the Warri Area Command conniving with the Itsekiri ethnic nationality to remove banners bearing the image of HRM Couple Oromoni, the revered king of Ogbe-Ijoh Kingdom.
“This condemnable act is masterminded by one Wayemi Agas, the Warri South Council Chairman, who perpetrated the act on the orders of the Itsekiri hierarchy, led by Atuwatse III.
“As peace-loving and law-abiding citizens, we view this action as a direct provocation and a calculated attempt to ignite ethnic tension in Warri.
“The removal of our king’s image is not only an insult to the Ogbe-Ijoh Kingdom but also a violation of the fragile peace that stakeholders have struggled to sustain in the area.
“We call on the Delta State Government, security agencies, and well-meaning Nigerians to prevail on the Warri South Council Chairman and the Itsekiri leadership to desist from further acts capable of undermining peace.
“The Ogbe-Ijoh Kingdom has consistently maintained peaceful relations with its neighbors, despite repeated provocations. We will not be forced into conflict, but no one should mistake our commitment to peace as weakness,” the statement read in part.
