Niger Delta activists staged a peaceful demonstration in London on Monday, calling for justice over the killing of Ikerete Udo, a coordinator with Tantita Security Services Ltd., who was reportedly murdered by suspected oil thieves.
Under the banner of the Niger Delta Environmental Justice Coalition, the protesters submitted a petition to the Nigerian High Commission in the United Kingdom, urging the Federal Government to launch a thorough investigation into Udo’s death and prosecute those responsible.
Speaking on behalf of the group, Mrs Busayo Charles described Udo’s killing as a brutal and senseless act, linking it to criminal elements engaged in oil bunkering in the region. She appealed to Nigerian authorities to take decisive action to safeguard frontline security operatives defending the nation’s oil infrastructure.
“Udo was killed in the line of duty while protecting Nigeria’s oil pipelines,” Mrs Charles said outside the High Commission. “We are asking the Nigerian government to investigate this heinous act and ensure that justice is served. His family deserves compensation and the assurance that his death will not go unpunished.”
In their petition, the coalition stressed the urgent need for accountability to prevent further attacks on personnel securing critical national assets. “The killing of Ikerete Udo must not be swept under the carpet,” the group wrote. “We urge the ambassador to impress upon the government the importance of swift justice in this matter.”
The group also took aim at several high-profile figures, accusing them of stoking tensions in the Niger Delta and launching coordinated media campaigns against the leadership of Tantita Security Services and the Presidential Amnesty Programme. Among those named were Kingsley Kuku, a former Presidential Amnesty Programme administrator, and ex-agitators Bibopre Ajube (alias General Shoot at Sight) and Ebikabowei Victor-Ben (alias General Boyloaf). The Guardian attempted to reach out to the aforementioned individuals and their representatives for their reactions but they were not reachable before we went to press.
The coalition alleged that these individuals had contributed to growing instability in the region through inflammatory rhetoric and what they described as malicious attacks on High Chief Government Ekpemupolo, popularly known as Tompolo, Chairman and CEO of Tantita Security Services Ltd., as well as Dr Dennis Brutu Otuaro, the current administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme.
They urged the Nigerian High Commission to liaise with relevant authorities back home to investigate the roles these individuals may be playing in ongoing unrest and criminality in the Niger Delta.
While praising Tantita Security Services for compensating the family of the deceased, the group insisted that the federal government must also intervene. “He died protecting national assets from thieves,” the petition read. “The government owes it to his family to provide financial support in recognition of his sacrifice.”
Mrs Charles added, “It is crucial that those encouraging violence and disorder are held accountable, both within Nigeria and internationally.”
A representative of the Nigerian High Commission acknowledged the group’s concerns and assured them that their petition would be transmitted to the appropriate quarters in Abuja.
