The Nigerian Army has averred that the Okuama community in Ughelli, Delta State is complicit in the recent gruesome murder of sixteen soldiers, and must be made to face he full wrath of the law.
This was contained in a statemen issued on Monday by the Army spokesman, Maj. Gen Onyema Nwachukwu, in which he refuted allegations that its personnel carried out reprisal attacks on the community in retaliation for the gruesome killing of the soldiers.
Recall that 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, were on Thursday ambushed by youths and killed. Some of the recovered corpses were said to have been beheaded, while the stomachs and hearts of others were ripped out.
Nwachukwu, while lamenting the despicable act, found it irksome that the community “resorted to media propaganda and shenanigans, rather than engage in a positive effort to fish out the perpetrators of this heinous crime”, adding that it is “a clear indication that the murder of the troops was a communally orchestrated attack against legitimate forces” committed to peace and security of lives and property of citizens and non-citizens alike in the Niger Delta region.
“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”, Nwachukwu said.
He assured law-abiding citizens that there will be no reprisal on the part of the troops, and enjoined 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.
He said further that 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. He added that ,”troops are determined to get to these criminals, there is certainly no hiding place for them”.
