ZIK SPEAKS ON THE KILLINGS OF SOLDIERS: INSIST OKUAMA PEOPLE NEED PEACE NOT EXTERMINATION
Much as I condemn the killing of soldiers on the questionable ‘peace mission’ in Okuama and sympathise with their families, I also condemn the burning down of Okuama village, killing of innocent residents/natives of the Okuama community of Ughelli South LGA in Delta state and displacement of the survivors of the ongoing reprisal attacks by the military.
In the determination to fish out and punish perpetrators, the justice should not be compromised. Suspects deserve to be tried in the law court of justice and pay for the wraught of the law if found guilty.
The silence by President Bola TInubu and Governor Sheriff Oborevwori on the killing of innocent locals and burning down of their ancestral village of Okuama remains worrisome.
Federal and Delta state governments should engage independent investigators and set up a panel of inquiry as soon as possible to find out the remote and immediate causes of what exactly happened in Okuama.
Who invited the soldiers to remote Okuama that led to the killing of soldiers in that coastal community? I know soldiers were brought to the Niger-Delta to protect oil and gas facilities and not be involved in police roles.
Okuama is not oil & gas producing community or major host to oil and gas assets. The chief of Defence staff has said in his circulated online video that officers were killed because of their role to stop illegal bunkering.
Here is a community that has no oil and gas facilities. Major D.E Obi and some of his solders that were killed was the Commander of army guards at the Utorogu Gas Plant who was responsible to protect oil and gas in OML 34 assets in collaboration with civilian surveillance guards.
Okuama is not in Utorogu oil and gas field. Why some people and Major Gen Tajudeen Olanrewaju retired has connected the killing of soldiers, Okuama locals and burning down entire village to illegal bunkering activities.
No amount of provocation worth the blood of any soldier, Okuama locals and burning down of entire ancestral home village. Tinubu and Sherriff are not talking about shelter for the displaced innocent locals of Okuama.
Tinubu and Sheriff are not talking of relief materials for these displaced locals of Okuama. Tinubu and Sheriff are not asking questions on the questionable ‘peace mission’ to Okuama that led to the death of soldiers and innocent locals of Okuama.
Who authorised the soldiers for the failed peace mission to Okuama? What are the roles of the military in a society? What are the roles of the police in a society?
As for connecting this burning issue to illegal bunkering as said in online video by the Chief of Defence Staff that the Commanding Officer of 181 Amphibious Battalion was killed because of his determination to stop illegal bunkering in Niger-Delta is petty.
What has the soldiers really gone to do in Okuama since there is no oil and gas facility in that community? If there is a lingering land feud between Okuama people of Ughelli South LGA and Okoloba people of Bomadi LGA, is it the responsibility of soldiers to settle it?
What has soldiers got to do with communal land disputes? Tinubu and the Miinister of Defence should address the nation on the statutory roles of the military inorder for the soldiers to know the limits of their official roles in a society.
The military needs to be guided to know its constitutional roles. The militarization of the oil producing areas of the south south has not yielded any benefits to prevent oil theft. The Nigerian Navy has always been there in the creeks and deep seas and yet illegal bunkering has continued unrestrained.
The solders have dominated every oil & gas facilities in the land and shallow offshore and yet illegal bunkering has continued more than what it was when the soldiers were not involved in oil and gas protection. We hear there is shortage of crude oil to refine in Warri and other domestic refineries.
The problem is lack of sincerity on politicians in power who use public wealth as their own and refused to invest in basic infrastructure. Money meant for infrastructures are stolen by politicians. The wealth of politicians and any civil service worker are public wealth stolen from the people.
A bundle of the blame goes to the Delta state Commissioner of Police who is supposed to handle all internal security matters. Tinubu and Sheriff must come out clear to resolve this matter. The surviving Okuama locals are suffering and are living without shelter, food and medicines.
Those persons involved in killing of soldiers must be fished out while the soldiers should be advised to maintain peace and withdraw from Okuama community so that the innocent people can return to their ancestral home village.
Tinubu and Sheriff should also protect the lives of the innocent people while they go after those involved in kiling soldiers. Soldiers should be advised to act within the law. What is happening is not a sign of development and it will further discourage investors.
The soldiers should be guided within the law. Burning down Okuama village and kiling innocent locals is not a sign of strength of the Federal government and the Nigerian military.
Tinubu is president of all Nigerians both military and civilians and Sheriff is the governor of all Deltans both strong and weak.
The notion that military are fighting illegal bunkering is not true. The military including the Nigerian navy and army are connected to illegal bunkering.
Every security commander lobby to be posted to Delta state because of what they gain from illegal bunkering and it is believed they make returns to their bosses in headquarters.
The land feud between Okuama of Ughelli South LGA and Okoloba of Bomadi LGA has nothing to do with illegal bunkering activities as it is believed by Chief of Defence staff and Major Gen Tajudeen Olanrewaju retired.
The CP Delta state, Abaniwonda Surajudeen Olufemi needs to be sanctioned and IG Egbetokun needs to be queried for the killings in Delta but this is not happening because both officers are Yoruba people. If the police was functional the soldiers wouldn’t have embarked on the failed questionable peace mission in Okuama community in Ughelli South LGA of Delta state.
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It is the duty of police and not soldiers but the police has weak and inefficient leadership at federal and Delta state command hence soldiers were involved in the police roles. The police must also be guided rather than concentrate efforts in illegal detention and bail money/roadside extortion with stop and search aimed to extort money.
The police should learn on how to live on their honest incomes and perform its statutory roles. The police shouldn’t abandoned its roles for soldiers to avoid future bloodshed of the Okuama community in Ughelli South LGA.
All mindset of officers to make money from illegal bunkering must stop. The Okuama people need peace. The Okuama people need shelter and food items.
Peace should return to Okuama community in Ughelli LGA of Delta while they look for the perpetrators and hand them to the police for proper investigation and prosecute in Law courts of justice.
We Mobilize Others To Fight For Individual Causes As If Those Were Our Causes!