New Claim by Community Leaders: 17 Military Personnel Were Not Killed In Okuama-Ewu....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

Community leaders of Okuama-Ewu in Ughelli South Local Government Area of Delta State have refuted reports claiming that 17 military personnel lost their lives during an ambush attack on March 14 in their community. The Okuama-Ewu community leaders, however, stated that the slain soldiers were killed along the Forcados River while returning to their military base in Bomadi, Bomadi Local Government Area………READ ALSO

This position was asserted by the Secretary-General of the Okuama-Ewu community, Bernard Esegba, in a supporting affidavit submitted for the N151 billion lawsuit filed against the Federal Government, Attorney-General of the Federation, Armed Forces of the Federation, Chief of Defence Staff, Nigerian Police, and Commissioner of Police, Delta State at the Federal High Court in Warri.

Esegba stated that the military held a meeting with Okuama community leaders on March 14 and demanded that the community chairman and other leaders follow them to their base at Bomadi in Bomadi Local Government Area of Delta State immediately.

However, Esegba, in the affidavit, mentioned that community leaders politely appealed to the military personnel to kindly allow their leaders to go by themselves to the prime respondent’s base at Bomadi.

He added that it was during this process that some overzealous military personnel began shooting sporadically, resulting in the deaths of some community elders and leaders, while others were seriously injured.

The affidavit claimed that when the personnel sensed that the atmosphere at the Okuama Town Hall had become very tense on March 14, 2024, they left the community in a hurry and were not attacked by any member of their community.

According to him, it was after leaving the Okuama community that the military personnel were attacked along the Forcados River, and some of them lost their lives.

Esegba stated in the supporting affidavit: “When the personnel of the third respondent got to our Okuama community on March 14, 2024, they were warmly received with our traditional kola nut breaking and wedging ceremony at Okuama community Town Hall by the elders and leaders of our community.

“After the warm reception of the third respondent’s personnel by our community elders and leaders, the third respondent’s personnel demanded our community chairman and other leaders of the community, apparently to arrest and forcibly take them to the third respondent’s base at Bomadi in Bomadi Local Government Area of Delta State.

“At that point, our community leaders politely appealed to the third respondent’s personnel to kindly permit our community leaders to come by themselves to the prime respondent’s base at Bomadi.

“Instead of acceding to the polite request of our community elders and leaders, the third respondent’s personnel insisted that they go with our community chairman and other leaders.

“In the process, some over-zealous personnel of the third respondent began shooting sporadically during which some of our community elders and leaders were shot dead, while others were seriously injured.

“When the 3rd respondent’s personnel sensed that the atmosphere at the Okuama Town Hall had become very tense, on March 14, 2024, they left the community in a hurry and were not attacked by any member of our community.

“We later discovered that while on their way back to the 3rd respondent’s base at Bomadi, the 3rd respondent’s personnel were attacked along the Forcados River during which about seventeen (17) personnel of the third respondent were killed. “Following the killing of the said personnel of the third respondent along the Forcados River while they were returning from our Okuama community to their base at Bomadi, the fifth respondent ordered an attack on our community (Okuama) from March 15, 2024, to about March 25, 2024.

“The third and fifth respondents’ personnel invaded our community and assaulted, battered, maimed, shelled, shot, and cold-bloodedly murdered unarmed and defenceless members of our community and destroyed our properties.”