Nigerian resident, Lokri decries moves by suspected militants to kill him

•Appeals to security agents to intervene

By Peters Monday, Abuja

Following a perceived threat to life, a resident of Bayelsa state, Festus Akpos Lokri has written to the Nigerian security agents, appealing for a prompt intervention to crush the suspected militants behind the threat.

Lokri, in a statement in which a copy was forwarded to a Congress news correspondent during the weekend, said that suspected militants had been threatening to kill him and members of his family for some time now.

The Bayelsa indigene who narrated his ordeal appealed to security agents to prevail against the suspected militants threatening him and his family, adding that he and his family can’t live in the open because of the threat.
He said he and his family were still in their hideouts for the past 14 years.

The statement reads, “I Festus Akpos Lokri write to inform the Nigerian Security Operatives about the threat to my life and that of the members of my family.”

Lokiri explained that sometime in August 2005, he received a call from an unknown number who identified themselves as members of a militant group suspects threatened him and members of his family if they couldn’t find his younger brother Innocent Lokri.

He stated, “Sometime in August 2005, I received a call from an unknown number who identified themselves as members of a militant group and threatened to ‘kill me’ and any member of my family if they couldn’t find my younger brother Innocent Lokri.”

Lokri emphasized that the militants alleged that his younger brother Innocent Lokri betrayed and exposed them to security operatives.

“According to them, they said my younger brother Innocent Lokri became a traitor by exposing their group’s activities to the Nigerian Security Operatives.”

He asserted, “I thought it was a mere joke until December 25, 2008, when we were taken by surprise with gunshots from unknown persons in our Village Residence in Aleibiri town, Ekeremor Local Government Area of Bayelsa State where l lost my brother(Titus Lokri and sister(Doutimi Lokri).

“As I write to you sir, we can’t live in the open and we are still in our hideouts for over 14 years now.

“Recently, when l was thinking that by now all things would have died down, but surprisedly I began to receive series of phone calls from restricted numbers threatening to ‘kill me’ or any member of my family wherever we are found if l don’t produce my younger brother (Innocent Lokri).

“I am still looking for my siblings, innocent Lokri and Anthony Bobra Lokri for over 12 years now with no success, how can l produce him?

“I urge the Nigerian Security Operatives to thoroughly investigate this matter with the view of apprehending the suspects and bring them to justice as we can’t come out from our hideouts to live freely,” he said.