Three years after the gruesome attacks on Finima indigenes protesting over the non-recognition of their community as host to the gas liquefaction plant of the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas Limited (NLNG) in Bonny Island there has been no official enquiry into the incidents of that fateful day.

The Amadabo of Finima, Aseme Alabo Dagogo Lambert Brown made this observation on Monday, June 10, 2024 at the 4th anniversary of the incident and unveiling of the Finima Host Community Memorial Centre in Finima, Bonny LGA.

He stated that the Memorial Stone, located opposite St. Patrick’s Anglican Church in Finima, also speaks for the spilled blood of members of the Community who were killed or injured during their peaceful protest on Thursday, June 10, 2021 for recognition of their legitimate rights in NLNG.

“Till today, no authority in the Bonny side, the traditional leaders in Bonny, the Local Government, that something of this magnitude happened and nobody, even if you don’t like us just pretend to ask or set up inquiry. but nothing was done rather than we’ve been faced with very serious opposition and is not good.”

“As a people we will continue to implement this in the memory and minds of our people, so that it’s something that will always drive home our point and what we deserve as a community”.

According to Aseme Alabo Brown, the memorial stone, which was commissioned on the Tuesday, November 11, 2008, was also set up in memorial of all forebears of Finima Community upon whose graves, he said the NLNG plant is sitting and being hosted and also in reminiscence of the Thursday, June 10, 2021 incident.

“We decided to put it as a quadratic function because we mentioned that the grave upon which the plant is sitting and being hosted is Finima.”

“And so, in our demand for what we deserve by law and when we went out peacefully to protest the kind of gruesome attack the kind of brutality our people faced by some of our brothers from the neighborhood is strange to us.”

“We were thinking that as brothers from the neighborhood they would have come to join strength with us as brothers so that we can get what we deserve the contrary was what we saw”

Also speaking, an indigene of Finima Community, Bara Kabaka Brown, PhD, gave further insights into the issues surrounding the event, informing that it has now become an annual memorial for the community.

“What is happening today been the 10th of June 2024, we are on an annual basis remembrance of the event that occurred in Finima in June 10th 2021.”

“When Finima people went on a peaceful protest to the NLNG facility to protest for our rights as host community to Nigeria LNG limited.”

“Where we were attacked by our brothers from our neighboring community in Bonny.”

“So we use today to remember the event that occurred on that day and say that never again will it happen we also use today to thank God to have protected us on that day because we did not go with any intent of fighting but we went there we were attacked with guns, stick, machete, rods”

“But glory be to God that nobody died that day but property worth millions of naira was destroyed in Finima by people we call our brothers”

“So it’s a day we can never forget it’s a day we also thank God, we also unveiling a very special monumental stone to remember our forebears and forefathers on whose grave the NLNG was built if you look at the NLNG plant the gas plant we must understand that the gas plant is one of the income generating facilities of the federal government”

“So that plant was built on our fore fathers on my grandfather my great grandfather fore bears graves”

“So it’s important to us that this stone is being used to remember to also tell them we love them and their efforts are not in vain at all so that is why we are celebrating today”

“It’s an annual event it must go on until we are called to glory, the encouragement we will always have to the Finima people is that like the preacher said today one with God is majority we should continue to be strong we should continue to stand firm in the face of challenges in the face of difficulties”

“Just like Israel we are the Israelis of today because we are surrounded by enemies but God has always be on our side God has always been protecting us and he will surely protect us in all that we do”.