TEARS AS GBARAMATU PROTEST OVER CONTINUED DETENTION OF THEIR CHILDREN.

•Gives Government a week or else…

WARRI~  Sorrow, tears and disillusionment engulfed the People of Gbaramatu Kingdom in Warri South West Local Government Area of Delta State yesterday as they took to the streets to protest over the continued detention of their children allegedly arrested during the May 28th military siege of the Kingdom.

The protest was staged at the Chief Tunde Smooth playground at NPA quarter in Warri South Local Government Area of Delta State in what they described as the continued detention of their innocent children that was allegedly whisked away by the military.

The hundreds of protesters that where mostly women and members of the National Association of Gbaramatu  Students noted that it has been over 46 days since their children was arrested by the military from their sleeping beds and particularly expresses deep concern over their whereabouts and calls on the Government for their immediate release.

The hundreds of protesters wearing black T-shirts with inscriptions like “Enough is Enough ” #Free our Sons Now”  and was also displaying several banners and placards with inscriptions. Some of them read: “ This is pure oppression, stop labeling them as members of NDA,” “Mr. President, Free our sons Now”, “ No child born to be taken # free our sons”, “ We need them back in school # Free our students”, “ Mr. President # free our brothers. Time is running out”, they are not NDA”

Others include “They are students of Gbaraun Grammar School, Oporoza” Bring Back our sons alive”, “ #10 boys are still in detention # free our brothers. They are the future.”

The protesting women that was led by Chief Veronica Tangbuwei, the National Women Leader, Gbaramatu Kingdom on her part while responding to journalists maintained that:

“They are not Avengers. They should bring our children. They are innocent, we need them back alive. You can see the mothers lamenting. The police, the army, the force people, they are all liars.  Our innocent boys, they arrest them and put something in their front. They are liars. The boys are innocent children. They have never carried gun in their lives. With all what we are seeing on TV, I can see that the police and army are liars. They will arrest you and put anything in your front to write petitions against you, which is very bad. Gbaramatu people are peace loving people. They should leave the children. Some of them were to write WAEC, but now they cannot write. They should release them. How do we know if they have not killed them? I can’t say. Their mothers are disturbing me that is why I am here now. And so they should release our children.

“We don’t even know where they are. Their parents will not allow me to rest. Some of them are orphans, that is why we are here today

” Let me use this medium to tell President Buhari and his group of people that if we don’t hear from them in the next one week, then we will march to Abuja for them to kill all  us all.”

Mrs. Endurance Uyatede whose son was allegedly arrested also posits that:

“My son was preparing to write his exam. You should please tell President Buhari to release my son. President Buhari has a mother who breast fed him. As a mother I want to see my son. He is my only son. Except they want to kill me then they should release my son to me. I am begging the government of President Buhari” . She also alleged that her son was 17 years.

Mrs. Rona Odiki pinpoints that :

“It’s my husband’s junior brother that is among those that were arrested. I don’t know his age. I married from the family. It was midnight that they were arrested.

“As usual he was sleeping in the night when the army surrounded him. He is a student, not a worker. I feel very bad that is why I am here in this protest to cry for his release. We are not hearing from him. Even if you arrest someone, you can take a lawyer to go and fight for release; but in this case we are not hearing from them. We don’t even know where they are. It is because of that we are crying that they should release them for us.”

Comr. Freeborn Abraye, the Assistant secretary of Gbaramatu Students Association (NAGS), spoke on behalf of the students asserted:

” Most of the arrested boys are students of Gbaraun Grammar School in Oporoza, that were whisked away by the military from their sleeping beds. Now this is a sign of pure impunity, persecution and oppression to the student community of the Kingdom. Because of this singular reason, some of these students have missed their examinations that was billed to take place months back. And these are students who do not have any clue of what is going on in this country. Our students are suffering from what they know nothing about; and some youths who are among them who are staffs of the traditional council are still among them. Today (Yesterday) is making it 46 days exactly. We have not heard from the students; we don’t know how they are faring over there; we don’t have a clue of where they are. So what we are telling the government is that they should release our students. Those boys are not Niger Delta Avengers. Those are pure students of Gbaraun Grammar School, Oporoza. As a student Union, we are appealing to the Government to look into this matter critically and release those students immediately because it has affected their academic stability. If for about 46days (yesterday) these boys have not received teachings from their various school, how would they feel? They have missed their exams; they have missed a lot of classes in school; and their colleagues are out there who can’t go to the class because their brothers are not with them. As a student community we are very much concerned about this issue. The  National Association of Gbaramatu Students (NAGS) is appealing to the Government to ensure that they release our students because they have missed a lot academically. We know the number of calls we have been receiving from parents on this issue asking us what we have done as a parent body of students in the Kingdom ”

The women stormed the streets of Warri as they wail, lament and rolled on the ground of the busy roads causing gridlock.

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