Nightfall in Port Harcourt, Nigeria

Wole writes from the Nigerian oil-rich city of Port Harcourt. The city underwent a massive military intervention last week in an attempt to quash the activities of militants who have been kidnapping several expatriates and attacking oil installations. This post captures the essence of citizen journalism - where the public provides stories and “write the news” from their own perspective, as they see it and how it affects them.

August 18, 2007

For over 24 hours now a dusk to dawn curfew has been declared in Port Harcourt, it is expected that the curfew will enable the Joint Task Force (a combination of army, airforce, navy and mobile police patrol team set up to combat militancy in the Niger Delta) to properly infiltrate and eliminate, perhaps, the opposition with minimum civilian casualties. For Port Harcourt residents this is the unkindest cut of all because the ever boisterous city night life will be adversely affected by the curfew order; the clubs, bars and other night businesses like suya spots, me shaya, cyber cafes, okada riders and gsm hawkers will have to shut down even churches are not spared as evening weekly activities are now curtailed.

1999, the Genesis

The genesis of this crisis was in 1999 when the former Governor of Rivers State Dr. Peter Odili created a militant campaign forum to combat the strong opposition mainly from the riverine Kalabari and Okrika political class. Odili is from a minority clan from Ndoni (omoku) and in order to command some level of relevance as a minority person he needed a strong front to combat the traditional power brokers in Rivers State, especially the Kalabari’s then ably coordinated by the Late Marshall Harry and Graham Douglas family and A.K Dikibo.

It was no surprise then when the names of Asari Dokubo, Ateke Tom and Soboma George began to reign supreme. In no time Marshall Harry was murdered in Abuja while A.K Dikibo was murdered in Kwale, Delta State where he had gone to attend a social function, naturally the Graham Douglases backed down in the face of overwhelming political intimidation and Odili carried the day.

2003, the consolidation

By 2003 militancy had become fashionable in Rivers State; to the teeming, restless, jobless and unemployable youths, militancy became a welcome vocation that gave them the much sought after wealth and respect. The boys did their jobs very well and Odili was returned to office without any stress, Odilli kept them well, paid them well and even imported state- of the art weapons for them and they became the unofficial security service provider to the Governor and Government of Rivers State to the chagrin of the police.

The fall out

Problem first manifested when Gov. Peter Odili attempted to demobilize the boys after the 2003 elections and the boys resisted. One of the faction accused the Governor of insincerity and alleged that the governor had sponsored a rival militant group to eliminate its leadership, consequently refused to hand over its weapon or demobilize. From that time each faction became wary of the other and the Governor, they moved off shore to the creeks where they kept their ammunitions. With the cessation of Gov. Odilli’s patronage money became scarce and for people who were used to getting paid multiples of millions a week, it was incomprehensible to them that they should stop militancy naturally they began to look for alternative means of sustaining their ostentatious living. (for instance before his detention Asari used to drive around town in a convoy of Humvees and other exotic suvs, openly displaying their weapons.

Renaissance

Following their fallout and subsequent withdrawal of the militants into the creeks, Gov. Odilli played his trump card; relying on the Federal might attempted to eliminate all the cult leaders in one massive and supposedly covert military operation in the creek. It all ended in a fiasco all the cult leaders escaped, the cluster bomb used killed innocent people and caused fire outbreak at the several well heads and oil installations located in the creeks. The militants retreated further into the creeks and began to kidnap expatriates for money to keep up their ostentatious life style.

Fearing retaliation Gov. Odilli re-contracted Ateke Tom to become the chief security officer of the state and by so doing setting him against other militants with a mandate to stamp out all other groups and for this onerous task was paid handsomely. Ateke Tom began to exact tax from vessels plying the Nigerian waters in the okrika axis while Asari Dokubo ably assisted then by his P.A Soboma George holds sway on the Kalabari axis until his detention and incarceration by the Obasanjo regime.

There were not enough expatriates to kidnap to pay the huge sums of money demanded by the militants, these sums are often in the excess of N10 million, a far cry from the N30 million that the Governor was doling out monthly. The militants began to kidnap children of wealthy expatriates and senior staff of blue chip companies in the Niger delta whether indigenous or expatriate.

2007, the bazaar

In 2007 most gubernatorial candidates in Rivers State enlisted the services of one militant group or the other in a bid to re- enact the feat of Dr. Peter Odili, all of them were cleverly schemed off the race and those who made to the primaries were disqualified until one Sir Celestine Omehia, a lawyer turned up as the PDP candidate even as he did not participate in any primary election. He refused to patronize militants he openly denounced cultism at his inauguration in May 2007 consequently on of his relations was kidnapped but later released yet he did not baulk. He went further to stop all monthly payments made even to Ateke Tom’s faction this was the final straw.

Judgment day

In the past 2 weeks there had been consistent shoot out between the militant factions and each shoot out is accompanied by civilian casualties. The rumor on the street was that the Governor had finally capitulated by entering into a secret pact with Soboma George and that he George had become the Chief Security Adviser to Governor Celestine Omehia. This news angered Ateke Tom and the other militants, Ateke rallied other small groups like the Deegbam; Deywell; the Colombian boys, the Italians etc. and they stormed the city of Port Harcourt in an unprecedented shoot out which saw major government facilities burnt e.g the newly constructed NNPC mega station a 26- pump, 24- hour-service filling station and the state FM radio station both located around Lagos Bus Stop, Port Harcourt.

15th -16th August 2007

The Joint Task Force (JTF) engaged the combined force of militants on all fronts at the Marine Base, Abonnemma water front, Creek Road waterside, Lagos bus stop area and Aggrey road at the end of the shoot out 32 people believed to be mainly militants were killed while the JTF suffered 3 casualties all taken to the military hospital for treatment. Soboma Goerge was believed killed in the shoot out but reliable source confirms that Soboma George was not killed and of course this would not be the first time such rumors have been spread. What is glaring is that twice police have arrested and detained Soboma George but each time his militant group storm his detention post and rescue him, the first was in a large scale jail break of 2002 where bombs and other explosives were freely used, the second time was in December 2006 when militants stormed the State CID, Hospital Road and made away with him.

Today 18th August 2007, all the National Security Chiefs held a meeting at the Bori camp military barracks, the meeting is aimed at bringing lasting peace to Port Harcourt.

Although the curfew may be taking its toll on the people but they are courageous and hoping that this sacrifice will bring a lasting end to the crisis so that Port Harcourt can return to its once serene and beautiful atmosphere.