Reprisal: Suspected Military Personnel Invade, Burn Houses At Okuama, As Residents Deny Killing Soldiers

By Ayodele Oni

In what looks like reprisal attack, buildings in Okuama Community in Ughelli South Local Government Area of Delta State where sixteen soldiers were killed have been razed.

Accusing fingers are being pointed at some angry soldiers that want to revenge the killing of their colleagues by yet to be identified youths.

Security Agents have launched a manhunt for the killers while some arrests have also been made by the soldiers led by the General Officer Commanding 6 division Nigerian Army, Major General Jamal Abdussalam.

Residents of the coastal community have fled to neighboring Ughelli for fear of a reprisal by the soldiers who have been patrolling the creeks.

Fourteen lifeless bodies including that of the Commanding Officer were in the early hours of Saturday recovered by the joint task force under the supervision of the General Officer Commanding 6 Division Nigerian Army, Major General Jamal Abdussalam, at Okuama community, in the Ughelli South Local Government Area of Delta State.

Some of the recovered corpses were beheaded, while the stomachs and hearts of others were ripped off.

Meanwhile some people in the community have denied attacking or killing soldiers on peace mission to the area.

Some indigenes alleged hundreds of persons were killed on Thursday and Friday by persons wearing Army uniforms who invaded the community.

An indigene of Okuama community, Onajite Idiaphoro, explained that the men that invaded the community with a Tantita gunboat burnt all the houses in the community.

He claimed that, “We were holding regular Community on Thursday when some men in Army uniforms and carried by Tantita Gun boat invaded the meeting demanding to see our community chairman.

“As soon as our chairman was identified, the men said that they were taking him to Bomadi for questioning but the community women resisted the approach because Okuama is under Ughelli South Local Government Area and the chairman did not commit any crime neither the community that demands military invasion.

“The men started shooting killing two persons instantly and injuring many persons before driving away.”

Mr Idiaphoro said that after the first shooting, residents of the community, especially the men started moving out fearing the worst could happen later.

“After four hours later, the men came back with many gunboats, shooting sporadically into the community and killing many persons including women and children before burning houses.

“How our people who are mere fishermen and potato farmers have guns to fight, talk less killed a whole 15 Army officers as wrongly reported? He queried