By: Felix Ikpotor
…Ogoni chiefs kick
Reports say a traditional ruler, Chief Barinaadaa Gbaranee has been manhandled and arrested by operatives of the army in Rivers State.
Chief Gbaranee is the paramount ruler of Bua-Yeghe in Gokana Local Government Area of the state, hometown of wanted ex-Niger Delta warlord, Chief Solomon Ndigbara.
Sources in the community say the army officers stormed the community yesterday and whisked away the paramount ruler after he was thoroughly beaten.
Reasons for the arrest could not be ascertain at the moment but there are feelers that his arrest may not be unconnected with his alleged support for the wanted Solomon Ndigbara.
Some persons in the community have however, alleged that his arrest may have been masterminded by some members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the community.
However, another source in the community told phspectactor that those who arrested the traditional ruler wore mask and army uniforms and suspect that they could be kidnappers.
The army and the police in the state are yet to issue any official statement as regard the whereabouts of Chief Gbaranee.
Meanwhile, some chiefs in Ogoni have condemned the arrest of their colleague by the army, describing it as genocidal and a desecration of the traditional institution of Ogoni.
The chiefs under the aegis of Council of Ogoni Traditional Rulers (COTRAR) called for the immediate release of their colleague.
The statement issued by its chairman, Mene Suanu Baridam said: “
We consider the abduction of Chief T.D. Gbaranee a desecration of the highly respected traditional institution and strongly reject the humiliation of an Ogoni traditional stool by the Army.
“We demand the immediate release of Chief Barinaadaa T.D Gbaranee and expect that if there be any issues regarding his conduct, he ought to be treated with respect, decency and in a dignified manner with an invitation, if that fails, the issue should be brought before the Council of Ogoni Traditional Rulers, if that fails, the issue be brought before the Rivers State Council of Traditional Rulers, the failure upon which further actions can be taken.
“We note that the abduction and embarrassment of Chief Barinaadaa T.D. Gbaranee, a government-recognized traditional ruler and member of the Rivers State Council of Traditional Rulers, a member of the Council of Ogoni Traditional rulers, is unacceptable to the entire Council of Ogoni Traditional Rulers”.
They accused the army of genocide against the Ogoni people and Yeghe in particular.
Similarly, one Chief Kenneth Wagbunwo has been kidnapped by unknown gunmen in Mgodo village in Aluu community in Ikwerre Local Government Area of Rivers State.
Family sources who confirmed the incidence said the victim was arrested in his house in the community late last night by three men who came on motorbikes (okada).
The source said attempts by villagers to rescue the victim was resisted by the abductors who shot sporadically into the air to scare away villagers.
The source said the incidence have been reported to the police.
