This follows the killing of soldiers who were on “a peaceful and mediatory mission”, following a communal clash between Okuama and Okoloba communities.
In a statement signed by Major-General Onyema Nwachukwu, the Director Army Public Relations, the Army flayed the community for resorting to propaganda instead of fishing out the culprits.
It read: “The unfortunate killing of troops of 181 Amphibious Battalion of the Nigerian Army (NA), while on a peaceful and mediatory mission, after a reported case of communal clash between Okuama and Okoloba Communities in Ughelli South and Bomadi LGAs of Delta State respectively is not only despicable but should be unreservedly condemned by all.
“These were troops committed to peace and security of lives and property of citizens and non-citizens alike in the Niger Delta Region, murdered in cold blood by an armed youth gang of Okuama Community, in the most gruesome, heartless and cruel manner and went ahead to sacrilegiously debase their remains by ripping out their hearts by the very people they were there to protect.
“Regrettably, the community complicit in this dastardly act has resorted to media propaganda and shenanigans, rather than engage in a positive effort to fish out the perpetrators of this heinous crime. This again is a clear indication that the murder of the troops was a communally orchestrated attack against legitimate forces.
“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.”
From Dailypost
Those that can leave that location should please leave
ReplyDeleteWhat is really going on?
ReplyDeleteFull investigation should be carried out to ascertain the root cause of this problem. Actions and reactions, they say, are equal and opposite.
ReplyDeleteThanks.
DeleteYou're intelligent.
© TEEJAY
What action that we didn’t hear about?are you in any way, with your empty brain, trying to justify killing and beheading military men and ripping their hearts out ?you and the person wey talk thanks no get any sense
DeleteWho did the military behead there and how many hearts did they rip out? Until you level this area the same way you induced chaos in your own homeland, you won't rest.
DeleteThe residents better leave now because sojas na go dem hear. The president should please step in for peace talk.
ReplyDeleteThis is getting worse oo. I hope this won't lead to more loss of lives.
ReplyDeleteHnmmm it is getting serious.
ReplyDeleteIf not for corruption, how will a group of civilians will be in possession of sophisticated weapons? Until they use them to descend on the military? Is better people vacate that space now
ReplyDeleteMake them go lick bush..
ReplyDeleteNa for civilian their preek dey raise..
Why can't they go after the people that attacked their colleagues? No! Instead they're facing the innocent communities/villagers..
If me I was the militant, me sef go begin draft and attack the villages and families of these soldiers, since we want to be hitting on innocent people..
Nonsense
Because people dey respect and give you chance, you come dey think say na only you get craze..
WHAT KIND OF COMMENT IS THIS? PLEASE JUST STOP IT ALREADY: THIS IS TOO SERIOUS AND SENSITIVE TO BE MAKING THESE KINDA COMMENTS...AH AH!!!
DeleteThe army should be professional and stop acting like agberos..
DeleteSo because someone hit a close pal, instead of me going after the person, I then go to his family house to burn it..
Na him family hit the person?
Is this not similar to what the police used to do in the past when they'll arrest a family member in place of a criminal that escaped before a law was passed to stop it?
So far the criminal is above 18 years, then he is liable for his actions, go after the criminal and leave innocent people alone..
Where is the professionalism in this?
Have we seen this kind of thing happen in a civilized world? Military attacking people of its country? Where is it done?
Don't they have intelligence unit? Can't they carry out their investigation in secret, trace and then hit on the criminals.. they'll be respected and feared more..
No be these agbero moves..
Everyone can carry out these kind of senseless violence.. they are supposed to be more tactical for crying out loud..
So maybe someone in my street k!lls a military man, then they can just come and burn my house and k!LL innocent people on the street? How does that make any sense? Na me k!LL am?
I honestly didn't want to talk about this whole ish, cos I no even dey send the country again but these is becoming so embarrassing, shameful and stup!d
Even in war, there are rules of engagement..
DeleteYou can't k!LL women and children, that'll be regarded as war crime..
Even in mob war, you don't k!LL non soldiers.. and these is even in the street, that's why there can be war in school but Jews go dey ball..
Not to now talk of the country military who are supposed to face external aggressors, not even facing the internal criminals but innocent villagers.. so even The Mob come get sense and professionalism pass them now..
Nonsense..
No matter the provocation, they're not supposed to begin to act like agberos, they're supposed to be more tactical, they're supposed to be professionals.. na there people go fear them more..
They were supposed to maintain Military Silence now and watch how the criminals would make a mistake while panicking, then they hit them in a way that'll send a message to everyone not to fcck with the military..
Abeg na them Sabi.. when we no get intelligent/ Strategic people at the helm of affairs
May God have mercy on your soul.i really pity you.are u even human?Dante,pls repent and allow the grace of God use u.
DeleteStella everything dante is saying the truth na, so as they are going on a destruction and killing spree, na im better or na the solution to this gbege?
DeleteThey should channel all that energy and big big talk to you know whom.
Killings from delta to bayelsa and now threathening more killings at Delta.
I don't support this at all o, President Tinubu kwusi nyia.
Gifty
What Dante said is nothing but the bitter truth. There are better ways to handle this issues.
DeleteTruly the military never kills it's own citizens in any sane country but any nonsense and abnormality flies in Nigeria. Stella have you ever heard this kind nonsense in europe? A country's military threatening its own people. Rather they should have done as Dante says
DeleteI don't expect anyone to still stay there after what happened. We all know the Nigeria Army won't allow such misconduct slide. What were they thinking? I'm sure that place will be left in ruins by the time the Nigeria army are done.
ReplyDeleteBut is it the best? Do civilized countries and its military leave some part of their country in ruins cos a thing like this happened?
Delete© TEEJAY
Give example of civilised country where innocent soldiers lives are wasted just like that? I mean we have no respect in this country for our own country that is why everything is upside down. And some of you think that if everything just turn to war and uprising now it will make the country better. Be deceiving yourself up and down saying professionalism. The term overkill is allow under this situation, next time they will never try that.
DeleteAnon 09:48, thanks for your input. They are always so quick to make comparison, all the while displaying their ignorance. How many Nigerians abide to laws and orders like those in sane countries? Nigerians are just too sentimental for my liking.
DeleteTeejay, how many citizens of the "sane countries" have you seen disrespecting their force? Let the Nigerian Army teach them lessons because they asked for it. Next time, they will respect our force. If your relatives are part of those that were mutilated, would your stance still be the same???
So the innocent children and mothers should be wiped out so as to teach them some lessons?? Waoooh!!! Bigotry lives here supremely. The bigotry in you is never hidden.. Goodluck
DeleteAnd they think perpetrators of that act will still be in Okuama. It's a sad and unfortunate incidence that the solders lost their lives this way but I will plead that further engagement by the military should be well calculated and not aimed at killing vulnerable and defenceless locals.
ReplyDeleteWhat is the state governor even doing? He should step in with the police for investigation and possible arrest. Just maybe, it will soft pedal any heavy reprisal from the military. Or is he waiting until the whole community is leveled down.
I still think the people of Okuama have a right to tell their story of what truly happened and the very people in their community that carried out that act.
© TEEJAY
Governors?
DeleteOf course,they should.....
ReplyDeleteMariam.
They should investigate the matter thoroughly to know what really happened. 2 wrong doesn't make a right
ReplyDeleteThank you!!!
DeleteOkuama people should tell their story. Let's know what truly happened.
© TEEJAY
Why is the community not pointing out the killers? Why the cover up? If you don't want soldier wahala oya bring the people that committed this dastardly act. It was a well planned,orchestrated attack.
ReplyDeleteThe big question we should ask is Who ordered it?And why?
No dear,
DeleteThat shouldn't be the question. Let me help you out. The question should be, what truly happened that will make Militants attacked the Nigeria Army? There's always an action before a reaction so says the physicist.
Secondly, who invited the military for the peace keeping? Was it something beyond the police and court? Were they used for oppression against one community?
Thirdly, how possible will the military be attacked who are just coming for peace keeping if something haven't given way either by an act of aggressive settlement or oppression. It is likely the people fell first before their attack.
I still feel something necessitated all these but then, there's no justification for the manner in which the solders were gruesomely killed.
© TEEJAY
They are not the police,.
DeleteThe police and military have an intelligent/investigative unit.. what is their job?
Let them fish out the criminals by themselves..
Don't you think any villager that points to the criminal is putting himself at risk? Do you think the criminals won't come to attack such a person.. the villagers are the victim here..
Like I said, that's what the intelligent unit is for, they can/should gather information discreetly..
If no be say this country too yeye, I for dey security cos I love intelligence job, but shey na me won dey sacrifice and put my life at risk for this yeye country.. country wey your colleagues fit even sell you out to the enemies..
Mtcheew
Killing 16 soldiers in ambush is an affront to the sovereignty of our great country Nigeria. This case is different from terrorism in the north. This is a case of an organised criminal in a particular community thinking they can go away with anything. Now that they country needs more soldiers to confront our already fragile security situation, now you just waste 16 Soldiers in one swoop and mutilate their bodies just like that and you expect that community to enjoy peace and serenity? It doesn't work that way. They need to be taught a lesson they will never forget in an hurry.
ReplyDeleteWe hear you o most intelligent, shift one corner biko, affront ko, afro ni, Nigeria that is a joke and laughing stock in the grand scheme of things.
DeleteThey have already caused mayhem, why more threats? We all know that by now the real cause of these problem have taken cover and it is the innocent ones that will be bear the brunt.
Wicked heartless soul, carry your almighty intelligence and give your President tips on how to take the country to the next level na.
Gifty
The wickedness of those youths is,what is causing this reaction 😪😪😪
ReplyDeleteAnd you think there won't be counter reactions?
DeleteThey should be more professional and strategic, hit the criminals only.. hitting innocent people would escalate the issue
They killed 16. Army will kill 600 before them rest.
ReplyDeleteThis is the time for the community head to come together to fish out the perpetrators of these crimes and let them face the law. If not, no peace for them o.
ReplyDeleteI think what is fair in this situation is for the army to tell the truth of what really happened, do a proper investigation and punish the real culprits and not go on a killing spree of the innocent, after all the army's hands are not clean 😡
ReplyDeleteI support the Nigerian army with my full chest
ReplyDeleteNobody get monopoly of madness na
Here is a little illustration:
ReplyDeleteThis evening,the handsome man had 'an altercation' with his beautiful wife and started beating her. Neighbours rushed in to save her from being pummelled to death.They now asked what the cause of the altercation was,so that a resolution could be reached.
This is where and when things got interesting because each spouse started giving stupid accounts of what caused their fight and left those who came to help even more confused😊
What actually happened was that the man and his wife had been stealing the eggs from their neighbour's hens. The neighbour complains bitterly,but has never caught the thieves. They did the same on the morning of that day,before the thieving husband left the house.
He came home very hungry that evening and discovered that his wife had eaten the eggs that he was hoping to eat(or share with her). That got him upset and that was the reason for beating his wife,but how could they tell their neighbours this,without exposing themselves?
This was why they kept giving their neighbours conflicting and misleading stories.
This illustration is akin to what is happening(or has happened) at Okuama community. The stories coming out are refusing to make sense to people of sound and reasonable minds because something is being covered up.
If the true story ever comes out,you would find out that it is a hot and embarrassing mess(just like a whole lot of things are, in our beautiful country),but be assured that the root cause of this whole imbroglio would be money(lots of it) and the quest to get/control/keep it.
I don't support this, it will definitely affect innocent women and children.
ReplyDeleteThey should fish out the real culprits to face the consequences of their evil act.
Hmmm let the innocent sha breath.
ReplyDeleteLet the innocent leave the community to breathe
ReplyDeleteTo those against the Nigerian army taking action against the brutal slaughter of their personnels and using the actions of boko-haram and bandits in the northern part of Nigeria as an excuse why the army should not attack the villages involved. Stop and ask yourself this question, why is the Nigerian army preventing news reportage from local and foreign news organisations?
ReplyDeleteIn each villages, hamlets and towns that soldiers were killed in the northern part of Nigeria, the inhabitants were so shell shocked at times they can't relayed what the military counter actions were taken due to traumatic effects of the counter actions.
Therefore think deep before encouraging anyone you know to attack and kill a military personnel.
Abegi make them rest.how many innocent souls did they kill at lekki? How many with their illegal operations in the SE? How many with wrong targeted airplane bombing? How many with unruly soldiers bullying hapless citizens? Now they want to burn a whole community when 99% of the people probably don't have a clue who the perpetuators of the crime are.Or as I stay at surulere now,if a soldier is killed at Masha,all houses in that axis will be razed down?from bode Thomas to Adeniran Ogunsanya? Make it make sense
ReplyDelete