By Ikpeba Duke
Tension has enveloped Okuama Community in Ughelli South LGA of Delta State following the invasion by armed military personnel on reprisal operation in the aftermath of the killing of four military officers and 13 soldiers from the 181 Battalion of the Nigerian Army by suspected youths of the community.
Okuama and its neighboring Okoloba community in Bomadi LGA of the State, have been embroiled in violent conflicts resulting in the intervention by military personnel.
The killing of the 17 military personnel on the Focados River while returning to their base after a peace meeting with the Okuama leaders and youths provoked serial responses from the military high command in Abuja leading to the total occupation of the riverine community in search of those allegedly responsible for the killing of the soldiers.
The military had since taken over Okuama and neighbouring communities by force, leading to loss of lives, livelihoods, displacement of community members into the forest.
Reports state that the military had started moving from home to home picking up innocent young men, some of whom they allegedly shot dead, resulting in many others fleeing the troubled community and environs with several others including the vulnerable displaced.
The Defense Headquarters has however declared some community leaders and their youth representatives wanted, President Pa
James, Dennis, Endurance Imarenezor Imaralu, and other
Okuama Community Youth close associates, wanted over their alleged roles in the “mass murder” of the soldiers, all of whom have denied any involvement, according to community sources.
The Defense Chief also named one Endurance Amagbein, also known as General Amagbein, a renown oil bunkering king-pin in the area as the mastermind and one who plotted the killing of the military personnel and declared that all the wanted suspects should be taken into custody to face prosecution or shot dead if they resist arrest.
Meanwhile, life in Okuama has become a living hell as several people have remained displaced and have chosen to remain in bushes for fear of being killed by the rampaging soldiers until normalcy returns to the once peaceful community.
As a result, several households have been dislocated and unable to be reunited following the lock down that grants no one access to their homes or families with no access to medical care too.
The people have, however, appealed to the Delta State Governor and the military authorities to see to the early resolution of the problem so that they could return to their homes.
