Okuama Community Crisis: Waive Calls For Peace, Law, Order

By Daniel Dafe

Rt. Hon. Francis Ejiroghene Waive (MHR), Honorable member representing the entire people of Ughelli North/ Ughelli South/Udu Federal Constituency and Chairman, House Committee on Rules and Business has said that he “received with utter shock” news of the killings in Okuama Community of Ewu Clan in Ughelli South LGA (a part of his constituency).

In a statement on Monday, the federal lawmaker added: “I must begin by calling on all parties in the dispute to ceasefire and allow peace to reign,,” saying he condemns in its entirety the taking of human life, just as he consoled the families and institutions affected.

According to the statement, “we simply cannot return to the Old Stone Age.”

He said: “I am particularly appalled by the reported killing of officers and men of our armed forces and demand that a full-scale unbiased investigation be carried out to ascertain the real culprits.

“There is no need to accuse and counter accuse one another or violently label anyone until reliable investigation with proof, fish out the killers to face justice. In this nation, we hold our armed forces in the highest esteem. It is not an acceptable norm to willfully attack and kill our good officers and men on patriotic duty to protect and defend our territorial integrity and collective peace and security.”

He continued: “During the years these clearly avoidable attacks have lingered, Okuama Community has always been the theater of the fightings, suggesting that they are the ones being attacked. Had these attacks been nipped in the bud as they ought to be, we wouldn’t come to this edge of the precipice.

“As sad and painful as it it, this is however a moment to reflect as true patriots and our brothers’ keepers to put a stop to these bloody attacks that have become incessant.”

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Furthermore, he expressed shock “how a community of only a few hundred inhabitants can inflict this level of damage on the military.”

Adding: “I worry if there are no fifth columnists and other vested interests at play. But I believe a thorough, unbiased and professional investigation will unveil this mystery.”

Continuing, he said: “Reports have it that the bodies of our fallen officers and men of the military were found in the community and on the Forcados River. There is a need to unveil the place of their killing and the actual killers. Whoever did this must be found and punished according to law.

“The burning down of Okwama Community is not a solution to the problems at hand. I call on the military to exercise maximum restraint in their response and abide by internationally accepted protocols in the face of this provocation.”

Meanwhile, he called on the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to immediately set up modalities to assist those displaced.

“We must all realize that land belongs to God. We met it here and will definitely leave it when we exit this world. So too is human life. Nobody has the right to take the life of another.

“I call on our beloved people of Okuama Community to calm down and ensure they allow peace to reign. I also call on our dear people who are their neighbours to do the same.

“The military authorities, the State Government and the Communities should cooperate in the investigations and find lasting solutions to this crisis according to law and the tenets of good conscience,” he concluded.