Two swamp buggies have been reportedly moved to the besieged Okuama community in Ughelli South Local Government Area of Delta State by the military, following its alleged reprisal attacks on the comunity as a result of the gruesome killings of 17 officers and men of the Nigerian Army in the area.
The four military officers and 13 soldiers were said to have gone to the community on a peacekeeping mission when they were slain by hoodlums last week Thursday.
A source, who spoke from a neighbouring community, disclosed that the heavy vehicles were seen transported on barges through their community waterways towards the direction of Okuama.
“ I saw them passing through our river towards the direction of Okuama, they’re heavy machines but nobody can tell their mission there,” she said.
It was gathered that the swamp buggies were off-loaded from trailer trucks onto barges at the Bomadi Police Division waterfront and transported onward to the creeks.
Meanwhile, the Delta State Governor, Sheriff Oborevwori, has called on all parties to maintain peace, assuring that there will be no more attacks on the community.
The governor who gave the assurance on Tuesday, after visiting President Bola Tinubu in Abuja to brief him on the incident, promised that the perpetrators would be apprehended and made to face the wrath of the law.
He condemned the killing of the officers and the soldiers, noting that the situation was under control.
Similarly, the Catholic Bishop of Bomadi Diocese, in Bomadi Local Government Area, Bishop Hyacinth Egbebo, has called for peace while the investigation was being carried out.
The Bishop, at a press conference held in Yenagoa, on Tuesday, condemned the incident and condoled with the military for their loss.
In the same vein, the Urhobo Renaissance Society, has commiserated with the Nigerian Army over the killing of its men and officers.
The group in a statement by its Secretary, Dr John Uwa, however, demanded an end to the killing of civilians.
“We discovered that the innocent civilians of the Okuama community are getting punished and killed for an offence they never committed in the first place.
“An offence perpetuated by non-state actors with the intent of grabbing the Okuama ancestral land through the instigation and promotion of the present carnage.
“Our investigation was inspired by the singular fact that the Okuama people are peasant farmers; and apart from lacking the capacity, brute and sophistication to act in such a barbaric manner, they have never shown aggression, even in the face of oppression from civilians in the communal dispute.
“We are calling for an immediate stoppage of the carnage by the military, and an immediate unbiased investigation to unravel the truth.”
Also, Comrade Derrick Oritsematosan Agberen, National Coordinator, No Justice, No Peace Initiative, has appealed to the military to stop further attacks on properties in the Okuama community.
“In as much as we condemn the attack and share in the grief of the Nigerian Army, the Presidency and authorities of the Nigeria Army shouldn’t use that as a ploy to descend and wreak havoc on the people,’’ he said.
The Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre, RULAAC, also appealed against reprisals on communities, saying, a repeat of the sad events of the days of President Olusegun Obasanjo (1999-2007) when the military destroyed communities in Odi and Zaki Biam for killing soldiers must be avoided.
RULAAC in a statement by Okechukwu Nwanguma, its Executive Director, said in a statement: “RULAAC condemns the barbaric decapitation and disembowelment of the killed soldiers by the killers. RULAAC welcomes the resolve of the military authorities to investigate and bring the culprits to book.
“Delta State government must, as well, go beyond condemnation of this tragedy and ensure a thorough investigation of the root causes of the communal dispute and clashes that necessitated military intervention and unfortunately culminated in the ambush and deadly attacks and killing of the soldiers.
“All the perpetrators, and others directly or remotely linked to the crisis that resulted in the dastardly killing of the soldiers must be arrested, investigated, and if found culpable, tried by the law. They must be made to bear the full weight of the law if convicted.
“We appeal to the military to end reprisals on communities. A repeat of the sad events of the days of President Olusegun Obasanjo (1999-2007) when the military destroyed communities in Odi and Zaki Biam for killing soldiers must be avoided.
“We recall that after the military’s violent reprisal attack on the town of Odi in Bayelsa State in November 1999, the community took legal action against the Nigerian government.
“They sued the federal government for the destruction of their homes, properties, and the loss of their lives in the attack.
“In June 2013, the court awarded a monetary compensation of N37.6 billion (about USD 98 million) to the people of Odi for the damages done by the military during the attack.
“However, the government of Nigeria under President Olusegun Obasanjo, refused to pay the compensation to the community and appealed the judgment.
“The case remained in legal limbo for years, with the government not paying the compensation, despite several court orders.
“It is unclear if the people of Odi have received the monetary compensation awarded them by the Federal High Court. Innocent civilians and their properties must at all times be protected.
They must never be made to suffer for the atrocities of a few deviants in the community.
“Military reprisals that result in the killing of civilians are not an acceptable practice under the rules of engagement.
“The rules of engagement are designed to ensure that military operations are conducted in a manner that upholds human rights principles and respects the lives and dignity of all individuals.
“Military reprisals are often regarded as an act of revenge, which brings into question the legality of the action.
“The use of force must always be proportional and limited to what is necessary to achieve a legitimate military objective.
“The indiscriminate use of force that results in the killing of civilians is a violation of international humanitarian law and human rights law.
“Therefore, it is important for the military to ensure that it does not descend to the level of criminals.
“It must ensure that its operations are conducted in compliance with the rules of engagement, which require that the use of force be proportional, necessary, and discriminate.
“The military must uphold its duty to protect civilians, and not take part in acts of reprisal or any other form of violence against innocent civilians.’’
Meantime, some residents of the troubled Okuama community has blamed the exchange of gunfire on the invading military whom they described as the aggressors.
Two Okuama residents, who spoke with the Delta State Radio and Television in Warri, on condition of anonymity, accused the military of carrying out mass killings.
According to the residents, the soldiers who had visited their community on March 14, 2024, for what they had tagged “a peacekeeping mission”, were received in the town hall but they later insisted on whisking the community chiefs away, a move which the community rebuffed.
The residents claimed that in the process, the soldiers reacted violently and “started shooting our people there”.
“The soldiers killed many of the young people there. People started running; some were killed instantly. Nobody expected any shooting.
“The army went and came back with more reinforcement. About 20 more people were killed immediately.”
Also corroborating the earlier speaker, another resident, a woman, said, “While the community rebuffed the soldiers from whisking away the community chairman, the army just changed all of a sudden and opened fire on us.
“Women and children died. We cannot find some of our children and our parents. They (the soldiers) killed over 20 of our fellow residents. Some of our buildings were razed. Many residents have fled and there are even dead bodies in the bush where we have been hiding. We want the government to come to our rescue”, she said.
It was gathered that the three suspects were arrested in Port Harcourt over the killings and moved to Army headquarters, Asaba, where they are currently being held.
