Peaceful Protest, A Kingdom Agitation Against Issues Affecting Our People – Bonny Kingdom Clarifies, Asserts Disclaimer Sponsored by Multinationals

Bonny Kingdom in Rivers State says its planned protest for Monday, January 13, 2025 is an agitation against issues affecting her people and not a resort to violence as insinuated by an aspect of Buoye Omuso Brown House.

This clarification was contained in a statement on Sunday, January 12, 2025 which was jointly signed by the Chairman and Secretary of the Bonny Kingdom Development Committee (BKDC), Amaopusenibo Amairigha Hart and Dr Victor Jumbo, and made available to the Media in Bonny, Rivers State.

The BKDC stated that the protest would go on regardless of the antics of what it referred to as divisive elements, who it accused of being sponsored by an unnamed multinational, adding that protests by Bonny Kingdom have always been peaceful and result-oriented.

The statement is reproduced below:

“CLARIFICATION ON PLANNED KINGDOM-WIDE PEACEFUL PROTEST IN BONNY KINGDOM

The attention of the Bonny Kingdom Development Committee (BKDC) has been drawn to a paid public announcement on some radio stations in Rivers State by the Buoye Omuso Brown House distancing itself and Finima Community from a planned kingdom-wide peaceful protest by Bonny Kingdom billed for Monday, January 13, 2025.

We wish to clarify as follows:

That the protest is a kingdom-wide affair involving all facets of Bonny Kingdom given that the issues under review, which would be made public during the protest, are broad in their effect and impact.

That Finima Community is one of the several communities that make up Bonny Kingdom. In fact, historical records are clear that during the slave trade, the then forest now known as Finima, was the holding area for slaves for King Fubara, Perekule I, who were meant for export.

That Brown House is a creation of King Fubara, Perekule I, after its progenitor, Omuso, its first Chief and Head, who was redeemed from slavery by the King.

That Finima is populated by Brown, Tobin and Attoni Houses which are all creations of the Amanyanabo of Bonny Kingdom, thus integral components of Bonny Kingdom.

That never has a kingdom-wide protest by Bonny Kingdom resulted in a breakdown of law and order. In fact, the last one in 1999 engendered several of the benefits Finima Community as a whole is benefitting today.

That the indigenes and residents of Finima are not isolated from the issues affecting every Bonny person whether indigent or resident and as such any attempt to dissociate Finima from any agitation in the interest of Bonny Kingdom, which Finima is a part of is suspicious, mischievous and laced with ulterior motives.  

That the security agencies should watch out for the deployment of hoodlums and miscreants from that axis as the said disclaimer as previously observed always serves as a prelude for the unleashing of violence on innocent unsuspecting members of the public.

That the resort to violence and blaming it on others have always been the stock in trade of those putting out the disclaimer.

That the planned protest is well beknown to the various law enforcement agencies and relevant authorities in Nigeria and as such is in compliance with relevant laws of the country.

That despite the treacherous shenanigans of divisive elements, who we are already aware have been induced with huge monetary sums by some of the oil and gas companies to frustrate the process, the protest would go on as it seeks to address issues germane to the wellbeing of Bonny people in general.”

The Buoye Omuso Brown House of Finima had in a statement signed by the Chairman of its Council of Wari-Alapu, Alabo Inima Dickson Goro-Brown, warned against the protest, describing it as an invasion of its community by sections of Bonny community, asserting that Finima was the host community to the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas Limited (NLNG) and as such out of bounds to other communities.

Checks by Kristina Reports, however, indicate that the land whereon the NLNG is situated is part of land jointly leased to the Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) by the Brown and Jumbo Houses of Bonny Kingdom.

Kristina Reports will monitor the situation and provide updates on the developments in Bonny.