The youths are said to be angry by an alleged diversion of N20 million released by the Nigeria Petroleum Development Company (NPDC), operators of OML 28, for the construction of skills acquisition centre in the town.
Attacks on the homes of prominent elders of the town are said to have been carried out at the weekend.
By Monday, most of the elders had fled the town, reducing the once bubbling community into something of a ghost town.
Even the deployment of some soldiers could not save the situation as youths are said to have engaged the security operatives in a gun battle.
A source alleged that a community leader identified as ‘Ogrilo’ (not his real name) had been the arrowhead of the community crisis.
“Ogrilo has been a major financier of these armed boys unleashing terror on the community,” the source claims. “Can you imagine that on Thursday these armed boys were exchanging gunshots with the army and mobile police in broad daylight?
“As we talk, army, navy and mobile police have taken over our community, with these armed boys shooting day-in-day-out, non-stop, destroying properties and looting homes in the night.
“Some of us slept in the waters until dawn because the community is in water because of the flooding. Everybody has run to other neighbouring communities because of the crisis,” the source said.
According to Amadhe, “the community’s President-General is the major cause of the crisis because he wants to grab every kobo that comes into the community from multinational oil companies.
“You can’t withstand the shooting in that community by some armed youths chasing away perceived enemies and engaging security agencies in a gun duel.
“The recent N20 million largesse from the NDPC for skills acquisition for the youths that he allegedly diverted is the cause of this crisis that has rocked the entire community since Wednesday,” the community leader said.
“We are still calling for peace; a combined team of security operatives have already moved into the community.”
Meanwhile, operatives from the state police headquarters in Asaba have arrested the community’s President-General, Felix Ewenede, over the crisis.
Delta State Commissioner of Police Adeleke Adeyinka denied that armed youths were engaging the police in a gun battle, adding that the matter had been resolved by the council chairman.
According to Adeleke, there had been crisis in the community long before now, stressing that the N20 million largesse had merely escalated an already tense situation.
