The Chairman of Emohua Local Government Area, Dr. Chidi Lloyd has vowed that the council would get to the root of the crisis rocking Obelle Community to ensure that normalcy returns in the area.
He said investigations are ongoing following reports of supremacy battle for control of proceeds from illegal oil bunkering activities by rival cult groups, which led to the displacement of residents of the community.
Dr Lloyd who disclosed this during his live appearance on Nigeria Info 92.3 FM in PortHarcourt on Wednesday, berated those linking the Emohua LGA vigilante services (EMOVIS) to the crisis in Obelle community,
He stressed that the crisis in the community was receiving serious attention from his administration, as necessary steps have been taken in collaboration with the Nigerian police to end the crisis in the community.
The Council boss stated that the local government never admitted any nominee or any member of the disbanded OSPAC from Obelle community into its security outfit, saying this was due to the controversies surrounding the nominations from the community, which has to do with the identity and profile of the nominees from the community.
Dr. Lloyd accused some leaders of Obelle Community of causing division in the community under the guise of autonomous community, which has consequently inflamed the crisis in the area.
The EMOLGA Chairman said: “We’re hitting the root of the crisis in Obelle community and in a very short time we’re expecting that peace will be restored and all those who fled the community will freely return to their homes.
“We have mobilized security personnel who are already stationed at strategic locations in the community and I have frequently visited the community to give them moral support and we are hopeful that peace will return soon.”
“We’re also aware that part of the problem in Obelle community is the agitation by a section of the community to become autonomous and I have told them that they can’t be talking about dividing the community at a time the area was already a flashpoint.”
Responding to a caller who accused the Council Chairman of hatred towards Obelle Community, Dr Lloyd said he would not have sited any constituency project in Obelle community when he served in the State House of Assembly, if he had any form of hatred towards the people, emphasizing that Obelle community was one of the major beneficiaries of his constituency projects during his tenure in the Assembly.
He also noted the number of key political appointees under his administration in the Local Government who are indigenes of Obelle community, and how he has relentlessly provided logistics and moral support to the security agencies stationed in the community, with a view to restoring peace and security in the area because of his personal attachment and love towards the community.
He however regretted the involvement of some supposed elites and leaders in the crisis rocking the community, whom he accused of fraternizing with the criminals terrorizing the area because of their affiliations and business relationships, but warned that the full weight of the law will be visited on anyone ( no matter how highly placed) found culpable in the crisis rocking the community.
Speaking further, Dr Lloyd called on patriotic residents and stakeholders in the community to support the government and the security agencies with reliable information on the whereabout of the criminals terrorizing the area.
The Council Chairman commended the security agencies, with special appreciation to the Nigeria Police for their commitment to the protection of lives and properties across the local government area and encouraged them to intensify efforts to apprehend the criminals terrorizing Obelle community and have them brought to book, with a view to restoring peace and security in the community.
The EMOLGA council boss particularly thanked the Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike, for his swift response to the occasion with adequate logistic support and marching order to the security agencies, which he said was already producing positive result in the fight against crime and criminality in the area.
Meanwhile, Dr Chidi Lloyd on Wednesday visited Obelle Community, where he met with the security personnel deployed to restore peace and security in the community.
The Council Chairman said his routine visit to the community was to give morale support to the security agencies stationed in strategic locations in the community and to ascertain the progress in the fight against crime and criminality in the area, with a view to ensuring that normalcy is restored in the community.
