By Our Reporter
Youths, identified as members of the Isoko Progressive Youth Centre, on Thursday, sealed off the Isoko South and North local government secretariats in Oleh and Ozoro as well as government-owned transport line, Delta Line.
Although no life was lost, the irate mob, numbering over 2,000, invaded the council areas early hours of Thursday, damaging an 18-seater bus belonging to the Delta State Board of Internal Revenue, a Hilux van, 504 saloon car, a desktop computer and louvres in Oleh Secretariat as well as those of NULGE building in Isoko North Local Government Area.
Delta Line motor parks at Ozoro and Oleh were not left out as about five buses were hijacked and one damaged and abandoned along Ozoro/Asaba express road. The documents of an OND student, Sebastian Ezechi of Business Department, Delta State Polytechnic and his mobile handset, were also stolen by the rampaging youths.
In a chat with the president of Isoko Progressive Youth Centre, Mr Anthony Ogbalor, (aka Dracula), he said the protest was as a result of negligence by the two local government councils, the state and federal governments, oil multinationals and corperate bodies operating in Isokoland.
According to him, since the government would not grant them a hearing on their plights in the land, they shall continue with their violence.
He identified their grievances as underdevelopment of Isoko ethnic nationality, lack of employment and empowerment for the youth, non-payment of bursary, scholarship awards and lack of provision of skill acquisition/training centre.
Reacting to the protest, the Vice Caretaker Chairman of Isoko South Local Government Council, Honourable Dickson Ebegbare said the incident was quite unfortunate, as the youth leader did not exercise patience to wait for the agreed date of meeting. He said the youth leader was trying to draw government’s attention but in the wrong way.