Journalists Cries Out as They Where held Hostage by Ndokwa Youths.

A team of journalist where held hostage by youths of Beneku and Okpai. The journalist came to investigate the IPP issue and the protest by Asemoku youths. Their cameras where destroyed, they where beaten up and the barely escaped with their lives. The team of journalist where from different media houses including Vanguard newspaper, The Nation newspaper, The Guardian newspaper, Delta Broadcasting service etc.

According to one of the journalist, it took the intervention of Military men for them to escape with their lives. The Nigerian Army had to escort them to Ashaka town before leaving them. The journalist lamented that "in his several years of journalism he has never seen a set of illiterate youths like he saw today in Ndokwa East". He ended up by saying that he was completely disappointed with the youths and never thought that such incident could happen in this modern age.

The National Coordinator of Ndokwa Think Right Group, Engr. Jerry Ogwu recounted his own experience in 2010; "The same thing happened to us when we the Ndokwa Youth Congress lead a team of journalist in 2010 to investigate the shore encroachment of the river at Okpai, occasioned by the dredging activities of the oil giant in that area.

We were ambushed by the same irate youths of the area, camera seized and other important personal effects destroyed by the same youth we chested out to defend.

When will our youths leave this state of mediocrity, and begin to think right.

Ndokwa youths it's time to think right, it's time to think development, it's time to think unity, it's time to think possibility. 
Addressing the issue the  Secretary General Ndokwa Neku Union (NNU),Youth Wing; Snr, Comr. Idi Presley Ifeanyichukwu express his opinion thus:

" It has just been brought to my notice that some group of journalists who where on their way to cover a story in Ndokwa East earlier today were ambushed and attacked by both youths of Okpai and Benekuku.

The journalists whom are correspondents from different media houses which includes Vanguard, Nation, New Telegraph, Pointer, DBS amongst others, were headed for a village in Ndokwa East to carry out their lawful jobs when the youths ambushed and descended on them at Okpai Junction in Aboh.

I further learnt that the youths were saying the correspondent were coming to cover the IPP, therefore they are not welcomed in the area especially if their mission is to come and expose the issues and difficulties facing Ndokwa East, screaming on top of their voices that they (Okpai and Benekuku) have light and its not their business that other areas of Ndokwa Nation are in total blackout.

The most annoying part is that, the journalists were not only mobbed and beaten but they were also rob of valuables as well and to complicate matters, these people are those we run to, to help us bring the problem and disasters facing our region to the notice of the entire world.

Its in line with the above that i as the Secretary General of the NNU YOUTH WING on behalf of the entire youths of Ndokwa Nation condemn in totality the actions of these hooligans, whom are trying to rubbish the good name of our youths especially those of us from Ndokwa East.

While I may not speculate about these group of charlatans being sponsored, I demand that the councilor representing those wards and the youth leaders of both communities as a matter of urgency issue an open apology and all stolen items returned, so as for this show of shame and disgrace to be taken of our face.

At this time when some of us are striving hard to bring critical issues that affects the daily life of our people to the fore, issues like poor social amenities, lack of good schools, no presence of good roads and other very important pressing issues like shore line protection and abuse of our people by the multi national companies operating in the region, the last thing we need right now is a group of hoodlums painting us bad before the world with their ill thought out actions.

Our people should be informed that, the media owns the world and its the only veritable tool with wish we can bring our problems and issues before the government for immediate attention.

So a situation whereby a group of hoodlums end up harassing and ambushing these media correspondents instead of working closely with them as partners in a view of dragging governments attention to the plight of our people, they have not only proved how gullible and backward they are but they have shown to everyone that the least they care about is the welfare of the good citizens of Ndokwa East viv a viz the entire Ndokwa Nation.

I reiterate the fact once again that the leaders of those communities and the councilor representing those wards should immediately issue a joint statement apologizing to those media houses affected as well as mandating the youths to return the collected items.

I round up by calling the Deputy Speaker, who is the member representing Ndokwa East at the Delta State House of Assembly and the Chairman of the LGA to immediately wade into this matter to avoid it degenerating into a media war against our people."