…Ridiculous Attempt To Justify Their Action — Army
Eyewitnesses of the deadly peace mission in the Bomadi Local Government Area (LGA) of Delta State, have recounted the incident that led not only to the killing of 16 military personnel but to the unreported fatalities in their community.
The community members who anonymously spoke to a broadcast media organisation, Delta Rainbow Television (DRTV), refuted claims that they had attacked the personnel unduly, as purported by the military in a statement on Saturday.
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The Defence Headquarters announced the death of a Commanding officer, two Majors, one Captain and 12 Soldiers, whom they said were on a mission to broker peace between Okuama and Okoloba, two neighbouring communities constantly in a feud.
“The unfortunate incident occurred when the troops responded to a distress call after the communal crisis,” the military’s statement revealed, leaving out the circumstances that led to the incident and casualties on the side of the attackers.
However, a resident of the Okuama community who spoke to DRTV, with his identity concealed, gave an account of the situations that led to the incident.
He said, “On the 14th of March 2024, we were at home. We saw that some military personnel – the Army came to Okuama. They (community) now welcomed them. They (Army) said they want to walk around the community. They walked around the community.
“They said they want to go to the town hall for a peace talk. They went to the town hall. They entertained them as military men, and they welcomed them. They asked of the community chairman and leaders. They sat with them and had a peace talk together.
“After that, they asked the community chairman and some other leaders to follow them. They said, we have already had a peace talk with you people, so you have to go. They said we must take the leaders to go, so they said No.
“From there, the army turned the thing to violence. Right there in the community town hall, the Army started shooting our people there. Then from there, people started running. Some were killed instantly because nobody expected a shooting from the Army in the community that day.
“The army now went. Within a while, the Army came back with more reinforcement. Gunboat and other things, and instantly, about 20 persons were killed. When they came back again, they began to shoot, they killed nothing less than 50 persons.
“The following day, they mobilised again. Some of the Army came from Bomadi, Okpabi, they came together and bombed the whole community down. That was on the 15th of March. The whole community was razed down.”
Although the military had denied razing the community or retaliating, another resident whose identity was concealed while speaking to DRTV corroborated the situation.
She said that the military had engaged the leaders of the Okuama community, in the Ughelli South LGA. “The army approached us. We entertained them, presented money, drink and kola,” she noted.
“When they were leaving, they said they want to take our chairman and leaders along. We said, is it for the peace talk, that you came for that you want to take our leaders with you? We will not allow it.
“That was how they opened fire. In the process of firing, our youths, old women, children died on that spot. More than 20 of them died instantly. Later, they returned after we thought they had gone. They began opening fire.
“Then on the 15th of March, 2024, they came back again and burned the community. They burned all the houses in Okuama. Some of us are yet to see our children and parents. Even inside the bush where we are hiding, there are still dead bodies here at the moment.
“We want the government to come to our help now,” She added.
The military has, however, responded to the claims, describing their account of the incident as a ridiculous attempt to justify their crime.
The army said that despite expecting the community to fish out those who ‘gruesomely and sacrilegiously debased’ the bodies of its personnel, they had resorted to “media propaganda and shenanigans” to mask their act.
Yet, the Army did not give an account, of the events that led to the incident in the press release, signed by its spokesperson, Onyema Nwachukwu, on Monday.
Rather, it noted that the ambush on its personnel was a “clear indication that the murder of the troops was a communally orchestrated attack against legitimate forces.”
The Army noted, “The falsehood being peddled by these criminals and their cohorts to whip up sentiments and sway the public to coverup, endorse or support the outrageous criminal acts of their armed youth gang should be disregarded in its entirety.
“It is only a ridiculous attempt at justifying their crime, rather than turn in themselves to security agencies. There is no amount of propaganda that would arm-twist the narrative, they are complicit and must be ready to face the wrath of the law.
“While law-abiding citizens are assured that there will be no reprisal on the part of the troops, we enjoin all to go about their normal activities, even as ongoing efforts are scaled up to positively identify and isolate the criminals to account for their atrocious deeds.
“The Chief of Army of Staff, Lt Gen Toareed Lagbaja, while commiserating with the families of the officers and soldiers who lost their lives, has directed that no stone should be left unturned until the perpetrators of this gruesome acts are apprehended to face the full wrath of the law.
“Troops are determined to get to these criminals, there is certainly no hiding place for them.”