Order Army To Vacate Okuama, Delta Monarch Tells President Tinubu

…Says Killing Of Soldiers In Community, Unfortunate, Regrettable, Condemnable

…Calls For Support For FG, DTSG

By Daniel Dafe

Ovie of Umiaghwa Abraka Kingdom in Ethiope East Local Government Area, Delta State, HRM (AVM) Lucky Ochuko Ararile (rtd.), has described the killing of 17 soldiers in Okuama Community as an unfortunate situation, regrettable and condemnable.

HRM Ararile said this during his address at First Baptist Church, Oria, to thank God, as he clocked 12 years on the throne, just as he called on President Bola Tinubu to order soldiers stationed in the community to vacate the area.

Adding: ‘Residents need to return back and try to get their lives back and.start rebuilding,” saying the destruction that was carried out in Okuama after the murder of the military men was also regrettable too.

He said that the way the soldiers were killed was not in tandem with the culture of Urhobo and other ethnic groups in the Niger Delta.

“No ethnic group in the Niger Delta has it as a culture to desecrate the bodies of the dead. We don’t chop off people’s heads, remove their hearts or dismember it,” he opined.

The traditional ruler said the mode of the killings was Boko Haram-like.

Meanwhile, he said to avoid such incidents, security operatives must stick to their roles.

“In Nigeria, the army does the job of the police, NSCDC does the job of everyone else. The only jobs that others cannot do is that of the Airforce because they cannot fly planes,” he averred.

The outspoken monarch who noted that even amongst the same security outfits, some persons are not allowed to do their jobs, cited instances when cases had to be moved from Abraka under the DPO to Abuja.

In his words: “In a murder case moved out of Abraka to Abuja, how do you move witnesses there too during a police investigation? If the DPO does not have what it takes to complete such an investigation, Abuja should give him the needed backing and not move cases out and in some cases release suspects.”

On Tinubu’s performance so far, he said the President was on track.

His words: “The president did well by setting up a powerful Economic Team. This means that he has his hands on the table, knows the problems and has good ideas to deal with issues.”

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He called on Nigerians to be patient with him and support the federal government, as well as the state government.

“Some may think that I have collected ‘brown envelope’ to say these things. Those that know me are aware that no one can influence what I say because I say it the way it should be said,” he averred.