Hundreds of youths under the auspices of the Ogoni Youth Federation (OYF), on Monday, took over the Eleme-Onne axis of the East-West Road in a peaceful protest against the Federal Government’s alleged neglect of that axis of the road.
That road connects the Eleme-Onne oil and gas industrial hub as well as hundreds of other related industries like the Ndorama Petrochemical, Port Harcourt Refineries, Onne Oil and Gas Free Zone and the two seaports, the Federal Light Terminal and Federal Ocean Terminal, all in Onne.
The protests by the youths is in response to the alleged indifference of the Federal Government to years of demands for the reconstruction of that axis of the road.
The youths were said to have mobilised trucks which they used to block the Akpajo and Refinery junction axis of the road, making it impossible for thousands of workers who pass through that route to their offices to move on both ends of the road.
An eyewitness and victim on the road said the protest at some point turned violent with some of the youths harassing drivers and passengers.
The OYF announced that the protest, which it called “Mother of all Protests” commenced on Monday, July 26, against the proposed day of Tuesday, July 27, 2021 because of “credible reports from our intelligence unit reveal plots to infiltrate the protesters on Tuesday, 27th July, 2021 with armed miscreants.”
