No one left in Okuama community where soldiers were killed, says Gov. Oborevwori

Delta state Governor, Mr. Sheriff Oborevwori has said that no one remains in the Okuama community where 17 soldiers were killed in Ughelli South Local Government Area of the state.

The Governor who spoke to state house correspondents on Tuesday said he found the incident to be unusual and concerning, as he was unable to contact any of the community leaders.

The governor also announced that he was given an update from the military and that the situation is now under control.

In the House of Representatives, Francis Waive, who represents the community, revealed that the people from his community were hiding in the bush.

At least 16 Nigerian soldiers were murdered while attempting to quell disturbances between two villages in the South-South state of Delta.

The troops from the 181 Amphibious Battalion, which was deployed in the Bomadi region, were on a peacekeeping assignment in the Okuoma hamlet when they were slain on Thursday, March 14, according to Brigadier General Tukur Gusau in a statement released on Saturday.

Soldiers of the Joint Task Force, led by General Officer Commanding 6 Division, Nigerian Army, Major General Jamal Abdussalam, reportedly recovered fifteen soldiers’ bodies.

In his reaction to the killings, Westernpost reported that President Tinubu in a statement he personally signed on Sunday gave the Defence Headquarters and Chief of Defence Staff the go ahead to bring to justice anybody found to have been responsible for the killings.

Oborevwori said while his government has met with the military, it has not been able to meet with the community leaders because the place has been deserted.

He added: “First and foremost, the community has been deserted.

“So, the issue of whether we’ve been able to see the community leaders, no.

“We’ve only gotten a full briefing from the Army and we’re on it because this week the traditional council is going to meet and discuss. I’m going to invite stakeholders. We’re on top of it. We’re on the same page to fish out the real culprits because innocent people will not suffer for it.

“They have assured us that no innocent person will be victimised.”

Governor Oborevwori also expressed concern over the recent outbreak of violence in some communities within his state.

He mentioned that his administration has been in talks with security agencies to address the issue.

The governor also stated that he had a security meeting on Monday, which was attended by heads of security agencies to discuss the situation. According to Oborevwori, his administration is committed to ensuring peace and security in the state.

He revealed that he has been working with other stakeholders from Okuama and Okoloba to address their longstanding rivalry.

However, the governor lamented that they have been unable to meet with community leaders due to the area being deserted.

The governor said: “Since last year, we’ve been enjoying peace. We commend all the security agencies, but an unfortunate thing happened last week. People who don’t know the issues are talking.

“The two communities have been having issues for years. On February 7, they were invited by the state government.

“The two communities – the members representing the two local governments, the council chairmen and the leaders of those communities – were invited.

“They agreed to work together and signed a peace accord.

“This unfortunate incident is very sad because Delta is governed by the tenets of the rule of law and decency.

“I promised Deltans that I’d be the governor of all and we’ve been enjoying peace.

“One of my M.O.R.E. Agenda is that we’ll enhance peace and security, and that’s what we’ve been doing.

“What is happening now is something that we did not bargain for, but we want to assure everybody that there’ll be no more attacks on the villages.

“Those who are culpable will be brought to book, but the innocent citizens will not be attacked.”