Nigeria Defence Chief, General Christopher Musa has denied that soldiers attacked the Okuama community in Ughelli South Local Government Area of Delta State where sixteen soldiers were killed.
The Explainer learned that the community has been razed after the Nigeria Defence Headquarters confirmed the murder of the soldiers.
“No reprisals by the army. We are searching for the murderers and their weapon cache,” Musa said in a text message to Reuters.
President Bola Tinubu said he had given the military full authority to hunt down those responsible for killing the soldiers, which he described as an “unconscionable crime against the Nigerian people.”
The 181 Amphibious Battalion soldiers under the command of Major General Jamal Abdussalam, were ambushed on Thursday, March 14th, while responding to a distress call on a communal crisis between the Okuama community and neighbouring Okoloba.
The bodies of the slain soldiers, including the commanding officer, two majors, and twelve others, were discovered scattered along the NDDC jetty and riverbanks early Saturday. The scene reportedly displayed extreme brutality, with some bodies found beheaded and mutilated.
However, residents of the community have alleged that men in army uniform ransacked and burned homes in Nigeria’s oil-producing Delta state.
There are strong allegations that some angry soldiers may have perpetrated the act after their colleagues were killed.
Residents said soldiers attacked the riverside Okuoma community of a few hundred people on Sunday while looking for those responsible for Thursday’s killings.
Tam Oburumu, who fled from his home, said uniformed men were going around looking for weapons and ransacked houses before torching them.
“The damage for now is huge, a lot of houses were burned,” Oburumu said by phone from a nearby village where he has sought refuge.
Government-owned properties, including a primary school and hospital, were spared, residents said.
Friday Addy, a trader in Okuoma, said she and her mother had left their home when soldiers arrived.
“The people have fled for their lives, and many are missing and we cannot locate them. We are helpless,” said Addy.
