Anger As Overzealous Navy Personnel Kills Two Community Youths At Oil Firm Premises In Warri
By Our Correspondent
Palpable tension enveloped Warri and environs on Friday as a Naval personnel attached to the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NPDC) Jalla in Warri South Local Government Area of Delta state allegedly shot and killed two community youths following argument over job slots in the company.
One of the victims simply identified as Agbolu, a young Itsekiri man believed to be about 35 years old was from Ifiekporo community where the company is sited in Warri South while the other, Christopher Eghenure Igbogidi, was from Ekpan in Uwvie Local Government Council.
It was gathered that, Agbolu, father of two and Ifiekporo Community liaison Officer, CLO to A&E Petrol was shot dead at about 2: 30 pm on Friday when he and some Ifiekporo indigenes allegedly failed to reach a compromise with an Ekpan born contractor given the job to repair the failed jetty.
Sources claimed that the contractor reportedly contacted some Ekpan youths, possibly to ward off any confrontation. It was in the course of the ensuring disagreement that the unidentified Naval Personnel allegedly shot and killed Agbolu and his counterpart, Christopher Eghenure Igbogidi from Ekpan Community.
Our Correspondent reports that the incident which happened at about 2:30pm on Friday have set both communities in tension even though the identities of the killer Navy Personnel could not be immediately ascertained as at the time of filing this report.
It was reliably gathered that youths from both communities were engaged in job slot negotiations with the management of NPDC when argument arose that was amicably resolved but shockingly the Navy personnel was said to have moved in and shot first into the air before allegedly shooting point-blank at the two boys who gave up the ghost immediately.
Speaking on the matter at the police “A” Division Headquarters, Chairman of Warri South Local Government Hon. Mofe Edema expressed sadness over the shooting saying “this is one killings too many. How can NNPC engaged security personnel be killing these innocent community youths like flies every time. It is just not fair”.
Angry Ifiekporo youths stormed the police station but were later directed to the NPDC premises while the Ifie community Trust Chairman Griftson Edema was asked by the aggrieved council chairman make an entry of the matter.
The DPO in-charge of the station Aniete Eyoh was out on official assignment but other officers were on hand to pacify the angry Ifie youths at the station.
It would be recalled that another young man, Omas Dottie was allegedly killed by an unidentified policeman in December 2016 at Ifiekporo and his corpse is still in the morgue as his family are pursuing legal battle with NNPC.
