The attack came in the context of an ongoing conflict in the Niger Delta over indigenous rights to oil resources and environmental protection.
People generally say that the massacre was ordered by the regime of former president Olusegun Obasanjo.
The military has often defended its action saying it was ambushed on its way to Odi. As a result, tensions rose before entrance into the village.
Before the massacre, twelve members of the Nigerian police were murdered by a gang near Odi, seven on November 4 and the remainder in the following days retaliation, the military decided to invade the village but there are reports that the army was ambushed close to the village thus tensions soared,
They broke through the ambush and exchanged fire with armed militias in the village who were believed to be using the civilian population as cover.
This and the "ambush" provocation led to the attack on the civilian population and the town's buildings. Every building in the town except the bank, the Anglican church and the health centre was burned to the ground. All of this happened in president Olusegun Obasanjo's reign.
A wide range of estimates has been given for the numbers of civilians killed. Human Rights Watch concluded that "the soldiers must certainly have killed tens of unarmed civilians and that figures of several hundred dead are entirely possible."
Nnimmo Bassey, Executive Director of Environmental Rights Action, claims that nearly 2500 civilians were killed. The government initially put the death toll at 43, including eight soldiers.
In February 2013, the Federal High Court ordered the Federal Government to pay N37.6 billion compensation to the people of Odi community in kolokuma/Opokuma Local Government Area of Bayelsa state.
Judge ordered that the compensation should be paid within three weeks.
In his judgment, Justice Lambi Akanbi of the Federal High Court, condemned the government for a "brazen violation of the fundamental human rights of the victims to movement, life and to own property and live peacefully in their ancestral home."
The case led to the payment of N15 billion from the Goodluck Jonathan led administration as out of court settlement.
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I really pity anyone who kills a soldier, not to talk of 12 soldiers, the army 🪖 will always have their pound of flesh.
ReplyDeleteBut having their pound of flesh on the innocent villagers is that the best? The culprits as we a know will no longer be there.
Delete© TEEJAY
Very ridiculous,
DeleteWhat nonsense pound of flesh, they should channel their useless energy in locating boko haram and the rest of the idiots terrorising this country.
Na only to dey show power where civilians dey, Rubbish!
Gifty
BH, Armed robbers, UGM, Kidnappers, Bandits, Ritualists etc etc etc LIVE IN COMMUNITIES. They have families, they have friends, girlfriends, concubines, boyfriends etc etc.
ReplyDeleteThey go to their different places of worship.
People KNOW them!
Till we are ready for the days of old, where you couldn't take home an item your parents didn't buy no matter how rich your parents are; where the houses of GOD and the community you live in will ostracize you for not having a believable source of income, now you get front row seats; till we stop calling those questioning people's sources of income haters; where a politician that did not do right by the people is shamed and sometimes chased out or pelted when they visit etc etc, the innocent will bear the brunt.
You are just pasting this your comment everywhere, where did you copy it from?
Delete17:19,
DeleteI commented here first, and posted it with a few additions in the previous post instead of typing afresh.
Not everyone is as dumb as you dumb ass!
Zaki Biam is another case study.
ReplyDeleteJonathan's administration paid 15billion? A lot of things he did went unreported. His media team no try at all.
ReplyDeleteVery unfortunate incident
ReplyDeleteDuring 2019 governorship election, i slept over in ODI the place is now so peaceful that the vendors sell till past 4am & beyond
ReplyDeleteThe most complex
Very sad event
ReplyDeleteAny military that goes into a place and starts murdering innocent people is a pathetic military,they ain't different from what Israel have been doing in GAZA for months now,weak pathetic militaries go after unharmed civilians because they are weak.
ReplyDeleteThanks Stella for bringing this story here, omo this story and the current one is a pitiful story, Innocent people been use as scape goat. May God not allow us bear the consequence of others.
ReplyDelete