By Ebere Suzy Okoye
The Anambra State Government has been billed to fight a war with ex-militants from Ijaw extraction if compensation is not paid to the family and members of Niger Delta Youths under the Umbrella of Ijaw Youths Council (IYC) whose colleague was brutally murdered early this year by a suspected northern trailer driver while working as ASTA staff at Ihiala, Anambra State.
The spokesman and patron 1 of the ex-militants, who simply identified himself as “Bush Pastor” told newsmen in Onitsha that the proposed burial of the slain ASTA member, Late Mr. Nweze Ugwunwa whom he claimed was their member before his untimely death while working for the state government should be postponed to make way for dialogue with expectant compensation to the ex-militants and the deceased family, stressing that his group had lost a strong and dedicated member following the death of Mr. Ugwunwa.
Bush Pastor who clung to a Holy Bible said that he was also the spiritual director of Ijaw Youth Council, demanded N10,000,000 (Ten million naira) and a commuter bus as compensation for the group and the wife of their slain member who left behind three little children, namely: Kingesly, Emma and Kosi.
The spokesman of the ex-militants fumed that despite all efforts made by his group to dialogue with his former colleague’s employers, ASTA had proved abortive as two commanders in Ihiala unit, Callistus Odigbo and Clifford Nnawaru had not given the group any positive response.
He threatened that if the Anambra State Government fails to dialogue with the ex-militants before Thursday, 27th February, which was set aside as the burial date of their colleague at Egbema, Ozubulu, Ekwusigo Local Government that the ex-militants would have no after option than to take law into their hands.
The late ASTA member was killed by Northern driver on January this year at Ihiala when he allegedly jumped into a vehicle to demand for a fee. The death threw the commercial town of Onitsha into turmoil following the news of the brutal murder.
