The student group expressed surprise the Federal Government was yet to send official delegation to ascertain the extent of damage and ameliorate the suffering of the people, three weeks after the attack.
NUIS also called for the withdrawal of the Joint Military Task Force from the region in the wake of the action, which the task force said was in pursue of militants who attacked its base in Bomadi and carted away weapons.
In a statement signed by Comrades Stephen Omare, Endurance Bekenawei, and Ebilade Obiri, President, Vice President and Public Relations Officer respectively, NUIS urged the government to take urgent steps to ameliorate the suffering of thousands of residents of the area.
They expressed “shocked that the FG is yet to visit Agge to ascertain the extent of damage with a view to ameliorating the suffering of the law-abiding citizens whose sources of livelihood were lost to the invasion.”
The body said if the FG was not in an orchestrated decimation, by instalment, of the Ijaw nation, it was now more than apparent that military occupation of the Niger Delta through the JTF was a menace to law-abiding citizens.
“We wish to let the FG and the world know that as students, our stay and sustenance in Nigerian Universities not sited in our lands depend on our parents’ means of livelihood now damaged in Agge by the JTF.
“Let the FG rebuild Agge so that things can begin to look up from the difficulties Ijaw students of Agge extraction and environs have been thrown into. Why is it that each time the JTF is in pursuit of criminals, it is the innocent, defenceless mothers, fathers, citizens and communities that suffer assault while the culprits remain at large? Is that professional soldiery?” NUIS queried.
Meanwhile, the Secretary of the Ijaw Youth Council, Western Zone, Comrade Preye Okaba says the 8pm-till-dawn curfew imposed by the JTF on Bomadi should be lifted or greatly relaxed.
He stated that while military occupation in the Niger Delta is undesirable, a military that is alert and professional need not impose curfew and make residents uncomfortable before it could ward off feared attack from so-called militants
