Chairman of the Governing Board of the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP), Emmanuel Deeyah, has called for urgent action to end the recent wave of killings and insecurity in Ogoni, Rivers State.
Deeyah made the call during a visit to the Chairman of Khana Local Government Area, Dr Thomas Bariere, following the killing of a former Chief Security Officer of the council, Letam Kiine, who was reportedly shot dead by gunmen near Ken Saro-Wiwa Polytechnic.
He commiserated with the council and residents over the incident and expressed confidence in the council chairman’s ability to restore peace.
Deeyah commended Bariere for previous efforts to improve security, noting that communities once inaccessible due to violence had become safer.
He urged security agencies to identify and prosecute those behind the attacks.
‘Those causing insecurity are only distracting the community. We will support every effort to drive them out because peace must return to Khana,’ he said.
Responding, Bariere thanked Deeyah for the visit and described it as a show of solidarity.
He vowed to intensify efforts to tackle insecurity, alleging that some individuals seeking positions in the local security structure were linked to the violence.
‘The killings are too many. We will deploy every available resource to identify those responsible and ensure they face justice,’ he said.
He assured residents that security agencies had intensified operations and that those behind the attacks would soon be arrested and prosecuted.