Angry youths from Odi community in Kolokuma-Opokuma council area of Bayelsa State, yesterday, reportedly, attacked a prominent chief and other indigenes of the community over their alleged involvement in alleged discrepancies in the sharing of the N15 bn compensation paid by the Federal Government for the 1999 military invasion of the community.
Odi, one of the biggest Ijaw communities, was invaded by the military during the administration of President Olusegun Obasanjo in the aftermath of the killing of some policemen by suspected hoodlums.
The community was reduced to rubbles with several lives lost in what became known as the Odi genocide.
Reprieve, however, came the way of Odi when a Federal High Court ordered the Federal Government to pay N35bn compensation to the community after several years of legal battle.
It was learnt that out of the initial N15bn paid, some percentage was deducted at source by the consortium of lawyers engaged by the community.
The angered youths, according to reports, descended on the homes of some prominent elders of the community over their roles in the alleged disappearance of over N600million from the money, which, they claimed, was deducted by the Odi Invasion Case Committee headed by some prominent indigenes as payment for their efforts to secure the compensation for the community.
A deputy chief in the community was attacked at his home in Odi with machetes and his car set ablaze.
The angry youths, reportedly, marched through the town demanding for the heads of those identified as the beneficiaries of the alleged missing sum.
According to eyewitnesses, the youths also marched to the community burial site and invoked curses on those accused of diverting the funds meant for the community.
It was also learnt that a squadron of armed mobile policemen has been deployed to the community to maintain law and order. Click to signup for FREE news updates, latest information and hottest gists everyday
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