The 17 soldiers who were killed in the Okuama community in the Ughelli South Local Government Area of Delta State have been denounced by the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC).
The group asked the military to investigate the horrific crime with professionalism and not hold the entire community accountable for the perpetrators. This is according to an article published in The Cable.
In a statement which was made by the president of the group, Alaye Theophilus, he said that currently, Okuama community has been burnt down completely, and that the inhabitants of the place are homeless and are now refugees in neighbouring communities.
The IYC leader described the killing of the soldiers as devilish and inhumane, and said that no normal person would support such act. He disclosed that they have also set up an investigative team to help the military get to the root of the matter and track down the people that perpetrated the killing of the troops.
He also begged the army that even as efforts are being made to trace the culprits and make them pay the consequences of their actions, the whole community should not be destroyed because of the crime that was committed by a few persons.
He said, “As a people, what we have experienced over time is that, when an individual does something bad to military men operating in our region, reprisal from the military is always against the entire community.
“As we speak, the fears of our people have shown up again, as the said Okuama community has been completely burnt down and all the occupants made homeless, and are now refugees in neighbouring communities.”
