Urhobo Media Practitioners Advocacy Group has raised doubts about the claim that members of the Okuama community murdered 16 soldiers, a development that has led to the burning down of the community by soldiers in reprisal attacks.
The group in a statement signed by its secretary Theophilus Okpare Onojeghen and executive member Shedrack Onitsha, said it was regrettable that the soldiers were killed, but it was wrong for the community to be razed, since it has not been established that it was Okuama youths that committed the murder.
They urged the military, the federal government and the Delta state government to carry out an unbiased investigation to establish the true situation of the matter, rather than summarily swoop on Okuama and sack a peaceful community.
“Based on the information available to us, we demand that the panel probe the following areas:
*1. What was the true mission of the soldiers to Okuama and Okoloba communities?*
*2. Was the Ovie(King) of Ewu Kingdom and her subjects informed of the military visit on a peace mission?*
*3. Was the Executive Governor of Delta State, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori, informed of the PEACE mission?
*4. *Why did the situation report come from DPO Bomadi, and not DPO, Otu-Jeremi?*
*6. Why would the military, stationed in Bomadi, embark on a “PEACE” mission to Okuama in Ughelli South, without the involvement of DPO Jeremi, and local government officials?*
*7. Why was the military “PEACE” mission escorted by Ijaw youths?*
*8. How come, that civilian members of the “PEACE” mission survived to tell the story, yet no military man survived?*
*9. If the King, PG, DPO Jeremi, LG officials were not involved, who were those to sign the peace accord?*
*10. Where did the community source such sophisticated weapons to wage such war against the military men?*
*11. Why were the police, DSS and other sister security agencies not involved in the military
peace mission to Okuama?
*12. Why was the military peace mission only for the Okuama community?
*13. From the reports, the bodies of the slain military personnel were recovered from the Forcados River. Who dumped the bodies in the River?
*14. Are we not sure that warlords from neighbouring areas were responsible for the attack on soldiers?
*15. Was Okuama and Okoloba at war for 16 soldiers to be gruesomely killed in less than 24hrs?
*16. Who were the civilians that took the military to Okuama as quoted in the report by Sunday Bomadi Chancel who had earlier claimed over 22 soldiers were killed? Who were the Ijaw civilians who accompanied the soldiers to Okuama? How come they survived while the soldiers were killed?
”Speaking on the matter during a Channels TV talkshow Sunrise Daily Human rights lawyer Femi Falana SAN said: “On the night of March 16, angry soldiers stormed Okuama village and set it on fire.
“For me, it is unavoidable.
“You can’t blame soldiers alone because there is a general notion in society that due to loss in the judicial system, everybody embraces mob justice.”
“Even the statement of the President yesterday (Sunday). We are in a democratic system of government. The President cannot order military authorities to fish out civilians involved in a heinous crime. That is the duty of the police.
“There are innocent people in Okuama who are as angry as the government in ensuring that the criminal elements are brought to justice but when you go and set their houses on fire and attack innocent people, you have offended domestic laws because it is right in our country that there is no vicarious liability in criminality.
“Nigeria domesticated the Geneva Convention in 1960 and under Article 33 of the Geneva Convention, collective punishment is prohibited. Innocent people cannot be attacked, even in a war situation.”
Sixteen soldiers including a Major and Captain were said to have been killed in Okuama community while on a peace mission. Their headless bodies, ripped off body parts were recovered from the Forcados River.
