The Delta State Government will commence a mass relocation of some 5,000 persons displaced by recent military operation in the Niger Delta to their various communities particularly in Gbaramatu Kingdom of Warri Local Government Area of the state.

The victims were displaced by the military operation of the Joint Task Force, ‘Operation Restore Hope’, following the killing of six soldiers by suspected militants in the area on May 13.

Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan, however, told our correspondent at his private residence in Warri on Saturday morning, that the victims would start returning to their communities from today even as he revealed plans to resettle them.

The announcement has raised hope to return of normal economic activities to the Warri waterways and other riverside communities in the state, following spate of bloody clashes between the task force armed youths.

Speaking after a private meeting with Gbaramatu leaders at his private residence in Warri, the state Uduaghan said he had reached an agreement with the JTF to facilitate the return of the displaced persons, most of who were camped at the Ogbe-Ijoh General Hospital, back to their ravaged communities.

He said, “At last we have reached an agreement and an arrangement is fully on ground for the displaced people of Gbaramatu Kingdom to start going back to their communities, especially those from Okerenkoko, Oporoza and the other villages, where there was displacement.

“The official flag-off will be on Monday, the 3rd of August and they would start moving back. There is no doubt that some of the communities, especially Okerenkoko was really affected by the destruction and what we are doing now is to put up temporary structures for the people going back home to stay.”

The Delta State Governor also revealed multibillion naira plans to rebuild the devastated communities and start new settlements for inhabitants of the Ijaw communities as well as their Itsekiri counterparts in the local government area as part of government’s resettlement plans for the victims of the crisis.

Nevertheless, Governor Uduaghan conceded that environmental problems would prevent the immediate return of normal economic life in the area, particularly as the victims were mostly fishermen.

He noted that crude oil pollution majorly from damaged oil facilities would make such activities impossible, stressing that such developments informed insistence by him and some of his colleagues from the region that the Federal Government must follow up the amnesty plan with post-amnesty programme to ensure rehabilitation of some of the boys involved in the conflict.

“Because of damage to oil facilities, there is a lot of pollution in that area and it will take quite some time for the water to be okay again for fishing purpose. The environment needs to be cleaned up that is not something that can be done immediately because there has to be assessment and other things.

“That plan is up between the state, federal government and oil companies for the aqua life to return. But on the interim, people have to do something so there will be fish pond and land for farming and some business with the oil companies,” he added.

He also revealed plans by his government to put up skill acquisition centres for the youths of the area to be gainfully employed and useful to themselves, stressing that that informed the need for a post amnesty plans.

Meanwhile, Uduaghan has assured that the JTF has given assurance that those returning home would not be attacked or molested by soldiers in the waterways just as pledges had been extracted from leaders of the various communities that their youths would be of good conduct during and after the exercise.

Earlier, the governor held a private meeting with selected leaders of Gbaramatu Kingdom, including Chief Jonathan Ari, Chief Dan Ekpebide, Kingsley Otuaro and Chairman of Warri South West LGA, Chief George Ekpemupolo, who is also from the kingdom.