Okuama: Another Reason To Call Out President Tinubu, Gov. Oborevwori

The arrest of Prof Arthur Ekpekpo, President General of Ewu Clan and five others so far, in renewed military vengeance against Okuama is nothing short of impunity of abuse of power.

Even more worrisome is the military arrest of Rita in place of her husband, Mr. David Akata, one of the community leaders being hunted by the military over perceived hand in March murder of 17 soldiers during the military doubtful ‘peace mission’ in the community.

Rita who was picked in Otu-Jeremi (Otughievwen), headquarters of Ughelli South LGA, along with Pa Anthony Awhemuria, was in her home with her aged sick mother when the security operatives picked her, leaving the mother in misery. Why would a wife be held liable in absence of her target husband?

Others arrested include Dennis Okubaye, Secretary of Okuama and Chief Belvis Adogbo, a political leader in the community.

The only offence of Prof Arthur Ekpekpo is that he is the President-General of Ewu Clan under whose banner Okuama is one of the composing communities.

A Professor of Physics at the Delta State University Abraka shouldn’t be a common criminal as it is being portrayed by the military. Not even the military’s own determined facts of the killing of 17 soldiers suggest he is among the suspected killers.

This was same way the Nigerian Military handcuffed the King of Ewu Kingdom and subjected him to much humiliation and emotional torture before setting him free in the end after much reprehension from across the world.

The traditional ruler was held under their custody for weeks before he was released to Senators Ned Nwoko and Ede Dafinone after languishing in the military cells.

While we are not against the law taking its course over the Okuama tragedy, the military should allow police to do its work. Whoever is assumed suspect of the killing of soldiers in Okuama crises should be handled by the police.

There is nowhere in the world soldiers usurp the responsibility of the police. It is the responsibility of police to arrest civilian suspects and prosecute them in court. Nigeria is not under military dictatorship even as irresponsible as the civilian government of the day.

President Bola Tinubu is not a military head of state but a supposed democratically elected president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The military didn’t contest any election. Running Nigeria as military regime is illegal.

If the military feels they suspect any civilian then they should allow the police to do its work. The military can’t prosecute in law courts.
Everything about the Okuama crises is still shrouded in mystery.

Till date the Nigerian military has not been able to justify why soldiers left their duty posts as oil & gas assets guards in distant Utorogu Gas Plant, Delta State to Ukuama that is none oil and gas community.

They said they were on some ‘peace mission’ in Okuama, a sparsely populated community in recurring dispute over farming and fishing rights with neighboring Okoloba, Bomadi LGA, both in the creeks of Delta.

It is not the responsibility of soldiers to settle land disputes of any kind. In the unfortunate killing of soldiers, the military had in their own findings attested that the masterminds were external forces, an oil theft syndicate led by a Niger Delta Militant not related to Okuama, but maliciously taking advantage of the ill-advised military ‘peace mission’ to carry the mayhem to avenge the military offensives against their oil crimes.

Like Odi under President Olusegun Obasanjo, the military playing judge and prosecutor in their own case and backed by President Bola Tinubu and the National Assembly, occupied Okuama in reprisal. They left in their wake, after weeks of occupation, sheer annihilation.

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An entire community, all residents, young and old, sacked, every habitable structure razed, saved one church building. Actual body count for those killed in the vengeful military occupation of Okuama may be hard to determined.

But the pictures the world was exposed at the withdrawal by the military were mind boggling with many corpses buried in the rubbles of the community destroyed by military guns, swamp buggies and burning of Okuama.

While the many internally displaced survivors of the military destruction of Okuama in retaliation over killing of soldiers are still ruing their misfortune in hardship and struggling to resettle their shattered lives, the renewed military offensive against Okuama leaders demonstrates affliction striking twice.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Gov Sheriff Oborevwori, you were elected to govern the people and it is your responsibility to ensure there is sustainable peace in Okuama community of Delta state. The soldiers were not voted for but the two of you were voted for to govern, including over the armed forces.

Nigeria is governed by a constitution, and soldiers should act within the constitution of Nigeria.
The responsibility of the military in Nigeria is known.

According to Wikipedia, the universally task of “a military in Nigeria is usually defined as defense of their state and its interests against external armed threats, and maintaining its territorial integrity and securing its borders from violation on land, sea, or air.

“The role of the military is to suppress insurrection and act in aid of civil authorities to restore order when called upon to do so by the President, but subject to such conditions as may be prescribed by an Act of the National Assembly.”

It is not the responsibility of the military to enter any village, town and city to arrest civilians unless they are invited by the President/governors and approvals given by the National Assembly. Whatever the allegations, they should allow the police to perform its legimate roles of leading internal security.

In the first instance soldiers moving into Okuama community for a supposed ‘peace mission’ is illegal. Okuama is not oil and gas community. No oil and gas facilities in Okuama so it is strange for oil and gas assets guarding soldiers to have left Utorogu Gas Plant to Okuama.

The alleged peace mission of soldiers to Okuama is questionable.
The military has resurrected the Okuama crises with these arrests of the leaders of Ewu clan.

Gov Sheriff Oborevwori is the Chief Security Officer of Delta and not the military. Is Gov Oborevwori comfortable that the military is reopening wounds that may take a lifetime to heal? Is Oborevwori going to remain a spectator Chief Security Officer again as he did the first time, acquiescing to the military labeling and treated every Okuama person, particularly their leaders as killers of soldiers? When recently killing of soldiers happened in Abia, the world saw how Gov Otti handled the military from escalating vengeance.

We urge Tinubu and Oborevwori to release those arrested or hand them over to the Commissioner of Police Delta, Delta Command, CP Abaniwonda Surajudeen Olufemi, Ughelli Area Commander and DPO Otu-Jeremi in Ughelli South to prosecute them in court if they consider them suspects.

The military can’t just arrest civilians and dump them in their cells as they like. Tinubu and Oborevwori should be reminded that they are not leading military dictatorship.

The Nigerian military headed by Tinubu as Commander-In-Chief should stop harassing and intimidating Ewu and Okuama indigenes of Delta state.
Enough of the intimidation and arrest of Okuama and Ewu people. The damages done to Ewu and Okuama people are enough.

Enough is enough. The military should reserve their strengths to fight Boko Haram, herdsmen killings and kidnappings rather than fighting armless Okuama people and their leaders.

It is quite inciting that no clear identity and statement has been made by the military as to the actual security units who carried out the latest arrests and the location of those arrested.
Enough is enough please.

Zik Gbemre
August 22, 2024

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