IYC DEBUNKS NEWS OF PRESIDENT ARREST, SAYS NO YOUTH SHOT GUNS

Following the rancour in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State capital, on Thursday June 23rd, in respect to an armed invasion of Rhythm FM radio station, owned by Senator Ben Murray-Bruce, by some suspected members of the Ijaw Youth Council Worldwide.

The punch reports that with dangerous weapons, they broke into the radio studio, interrupted the programme and dragged out the National Mobilisation Officer of IYC, Mr. Wisdom Ikuli, and a self-acclaimed spokesman for the council, Mike Edounkimor, who were guests of the programme.

It was learnt that the youth allegedly beat Ikuli and Edounkimor to stupor, with bruises all over their faces.

The youth had allegedly attempted to bundle them (Ikuli and Edounkimor) into one of the vehicles but for the intervention of riot policemen who came in the nick of time.

Meanwhile, the factional group had made public a press statement, stating that the union had called for the arrest of the President, Comrade Udengs Eradiri. The statement which was made by Bristol-Alagbarya Emmanuel, the Secretary General of the IYC Worldwide, according to him " The IYC wishes to draw the attention of security agencies that Udengs and his cohorts must be arrested because they are fomenting crisis in the Niger Delta region. The security agencies should as a matter of national security withdraw the four police orderlies escorting Udengs and prosecute them for the incident at Rhythm Radio Station on Thursday, June 23rd 2016.”

In retaliation, the IYC through its spokesperson, Barrister Eric Omare on Friday June 24th,  has debunked the statement from the factional group, describing it as false.

The statement read as follows:

The attention of the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC), worldwide has been drawn to a publication in the Friday, 24th of June, 2016 edition of the Daily independent newspaper to the effect that the IYC called for the arrest of its President, Udengs Eradiri and others in connection with a shootout in Yenagoa. The said report is malicious, unprofessional, misleading and deliberately done to mislead the reading public.

Therefore, the IYC wishes to respond as follows THAT:

That the IYC never at any point in time called for the arrest of its President, Udengs Eradiri and others and there is no basis whatsoever to do so.

The President of the IYC, Udengs Eradiri was never involved in any shootout at Yenagoa on Thursday, the 23rd of June, 2016. Also contrary to the said report, the reporter from Daily Independent newspaper never made any effort to reach the President (Udengs Eradiri) or Spokesman of IYC (Eric Omare) to get clarifications before going to press.

For the record, the President of the IYC, Udengs Eradiri in the early hours of Thursday, the 23rd day of June, 2016 upon hearing that someone was impersonating himself as Spokesman of the IYC in a live radio programme went to the Azikoro Police Station, Yenagoa, Bayelsa State to report a case of impersonation and the said impersonator and his accomplice were arrested by the police from a radio station where he was impersonating the office of the Spokesman of the IYC.

We wish to also state clearly that it is contemptuous and in fragrant disregard of a valid and subsisting order of court for the Daily Independent newspaper or any other newspaper or radio station to refer to one Mr. Mike Edounkumor, the impersonator who was arrested by the police in Yenagoa as Spokesman of the IYC.

The said Edounkumor is not the Spokesman of the IYC and this fact has been clearly stated in the judgment of the Honourable Justice Ogola of the Bayelsa State High Court of Justice in Suit No. YHC/79/2015 in Udengs Eradiri, Eric Omare & others V. Preye Agama & others wherein the court clearly stated that the tenure of Udengs Eraidir and Eric Omare as President and Spokesman respectively of the IYC expires on  the 1st day of March, 2017. The relevant organs of the IYC especially the parliament has also emphasis this point on several occasions.

Therefore, we strongly advise journalists and media houses to strictly comply with this judgment and have respect for the rule of law as clearly stated in the judgment in suit No. YHC/79/2015 by refraining from referring to any other person than Udengs Eradiri and Eric Omare as President and Spokesman of the IYC. A copy of the judgment is herein attached for the benefit of journalists and media houses.
We also state that the IYC under Udengs Eradiri has been peaceful and law abiding as clearly demonstrated in the several petitions that have been written to the Inspector General of Police, the Director of State Security Services, Commissioner of Police, Bayelsa State and other security agencies to call to justice the people impersonating themselves as President and Spokesman of the IYC and their sponsors.

The ultimate aim of the impersonators and their sponsors from the onset is to escalate the already volatile security situation in the Niger Delta region. This fact we have clearly stated in our petitions to the Inspector General of Police and Director of State Security Services. We once again reinstate our call for the impersonators and their sponsors to be brought to justice to save the already volatile security situation in the Niger Delta from degenerating.

Signed for the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC), worldwide:
Eric Omare
Spokesman