Panic over threat to attack Ijaws in South West

Tension is mounting in some states in the South West, particularly in Lagos, over the warning by a Yoruba group, Oodua Defenders Union, to the nascent militant group, Niger Delta Avengers, to steer clear of oil facilities in Lagos.
The Yoruba group had in reaction to the threat by the NDA to strike oil facilities outside the Niger Delta, including Lagos, threatened to defend the interest of the Yoruba nation and the assets located in their region against such attack.
It also warned of reprisal action against the Ijaws living in the South West.
The National President of the Ijaw Youth Development Association, Comrade Fiyebo Eperetei, in a statement, has however said such warning is misplaced as his kinsmen were not at war with the Yoruba in Lagos or anywhere else.
Besides, Eperetei said there is no relationship between the Niger Delta Avengers and the Ijaw people.
Eperetei wondered why the group singled out the Ijaw when the umbrella bodies of the Ijaw nation had not issued any statement in support of the NDA threat.
He said: “The Ijaws in Lagos are not at war with the Yorubas. It will be very unfortunate for anybody to plan to attack Ijaws in Lagos because the Ijaw National Congress (INC) and Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) did not issue any statement to attack Lagos and other parts of Nigeria. Therefore the alleged threat or plan by the Niger Delta Avengers should not be used as a basis to attack law-abiding Ijaw people in Lagos and other south west states.
“We appeal to the Oodua Defenders Union that we are not at war with anybody in Lagos State. The Ijaws in Lagos are peace-loving people and have not been part of any act of disunity in the state.
“The threat to attack innocent law-abiding Ijaw people just because of a statement by a group allegedly agitating for Niger Delta interest and not that of Ijaw alone is unfortunate. Such a threat can create the basis for over-zealous youths to attack Ijaw people. We do not want a repeat of the Ijaw-Yoruba crisis of the past. There is no relationship between the Niger Delta Avengers and the Ijaw people.”