By Okosun Dennis
Exactly 365 days ago, some rootless civilians ambushed 17 soldiers, held them captive and slaughtered them in the most bizarre manner like pigs in the Slaughter’s Slab.
Their offence was making peace in a fractured community that were dagger drawn against one another over a portion of land the “executioners” have no power to add even a square metre.
The soldiers of 181 Amphibious Battalion led by its Commanding Officer, Lt Col AH Ali, two Majors, a Captain, and 12 soldiers, had gone to Okuama Community, Ughelli South Local Government Area of Delta State, to restore brewing crisis and the mission ended tragically.
Like in the “The Executioner Dreams,” by Kwesi Brew, the criminals were merciless, they were brutal, and incorrigibly inhuman. What offence the soldiers could have committed that they grabbed them, decimated and dismembered their bodies? Not done with their killings, they ripped off their vital organs like pebbles flown through innocent trees in the dried savannah.
The killing of the 16 soldiers and a civilian resonated a dastardly act and style resplendent of the Odi Community in 1999 when some community vultures ambushed and slaughtered nine soldiers after they had, in the most insensitive, ignoble manner, hacked some policemen who were on peace mission, to death.
What played out is a testament to the fact that amnesty policy seems to have failed to achieve its purpose, as it has not, in any way, restrained warring youths from embracing peace and amiable coexistence in a fragile community dragging over a piece of land they have no iota of power to increase or reduce its size.
For how long will some lawless youths continue to hack fellow civilians, soldiers and other law enforcement agents to death at the slightest provocation? Their actions portends an ominous sign of a country that is derailing and failing to protect those who should protect the rest of us.
What panned out at Okuama and Okoloba communities on the 14th March, 2024 was a sad reality; a huge conflagration that is capable of consuming the entire country if drastic actions are not taking to right the wrong. The arrest of some suspects while other were declared wanted and still on the run, has not yielded any positive result. This point to the fact, are the two communities not complicit?
Allegations
Lt Col AH Ali, the Commanding Officer, 181 Amphibious Battalion, Nigerian Army, Major SD Shafa; Major DE Obi; Captain U Zakari; Staff Sergeant Yahaya Saidu; Corporal Yahaya Danbaba; Corporal Kabiru Bashir; Lance Corporal Bulus Haruna; Lance Corporal Sole Opeyemi; Lance Corporal Bello Anas; Lance Corporal Hamman Peter; Lance Corporal Ibrahim Abdullahi; Private Alhaji Isah; Private Clement Francis; Private Abubakar Ali; Private Ibrahim Adamu; Private Adamu Ibrahim, would have died and confined to their permanent grave underneath the earth, but, no matter the provocation, their killings were inhuman and barbaric.
Incidentally, since the killings took place, there have been barrage of allegations why the youths of Okuama illegally descended on the soldiers. Sadly, it is yet to be proven why they toiled that line despite such gamut of allegations.
Although different narratives were spurned, with a source alleging that the insipid attack was orchestrated by Tompolo, who incidentally, is from Okoloba, military investigations instituted is yet to come out with reports if such allegation holds sway or not.
Realistically, whether Tompolo did engage the soldiers to assist him to deal with the Okuama people since he had allegedly enjoyed the favour of military guys as the founder of Tantita Security Company, is immaterial. Moreover, that the soldiers were said to have allegedly killed three members of the community in an earlier mop up operations, are inconclusive deductions, but it’s left for the military authorities to state the fact of the matter.
The unresolved conundrum remains: Could the army have allowed some officers into a community to carry out arrest of some disobedient members of another community without a proper backup? How could that have happened with the understanding that there were splashes of violence and the so-called repentant militants could have regrouped to cause a havoc?
Military Investigations
Soon after the soldiers were slaughtered in the most uncanny way, the military authority immediately commissioned an investigative team to x-ray what led to the killings.
Unfortunately, however, one year after the incident which drew both international and local condemnation, the military authorities are yet to make public their findings. Understood that some of the suspects declared wanted have been arrested while others are still at large, why is the reports been delayed? Why, despite the assurances of the Minister of Defence, Alhaji Mohammed Badaru Abubakar to ensure justice is served, has not reciprocated by fulfilling his promise?
Just recently, the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Christopher Musa during a media briefing after a joint Military, Police and Para-Military security meeting, in Abuja, said “People have been asking questions about what is happening in Okuama. I want to let you know that the killing of 17 personnel of the armed forces of Nigeria will not go unpunished.”
That sounds good when he spoke through the Chief of Defence Training and Operation, Major Gen Emeka Onumajuru on the lastest Okuama activity. With those assurances, the fact must be reiterated that since Okuama killings took place, some military personnel deployed to other hot spots have also been killed without immediate action by the military to fish such suspects for opprobrium.
This, to a large extent, seems to embolden criminals to unleash wave of terror on soldiers, who are met to safeguard and protect them. With participation in internal security covering almost the 36 states of the federation coupled with the ongoing combats with terrorists, bandits and other organised crimes, both the military and government at all levels need to do more to protect personnel from the vagaries of heinous attacks by disgruntled elements who leverage on chances to wreck havoc. Let it be seen that those who commit such killings are immediately brought to book to serve as deterrent to others who might nurse such insipid act.
Action Speaks Louder…!
The time is now to speak truth and damn the consequences. The Federal government and the National Assembly must rise from presumed stupor to face the challenges of insecurity. The military is doing their best but need further backing. Nigerians are dying – people are being killed like chickens.
Terrorists have been emboldened by some political rats that do not wish the country good. Bandits have gone berserk; becoming more audacious; while kidnappers have become monstrous; seizing people easily and despatching them to their premature graves. Ritualists are growing as they trade on human parts, an act that is gaining rapturous heights.
With new vigour and order from the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant General Olufemi Oluyede during the just concluded First Commanding Officers’ Workshop for year 2025 held at the Headquarters 2 Division Nigerian Army, directing Battalion Commanders of the Nigerian Army to effectively tackle all emerging threats to national security through exemplary leadership in the command of their troops, it is hoped they would do more than even before to mitigate incidences of attacks on their troops and decisively deal with criminal gangs in their Area of Responsibility (AOR).
It’s only when those responsible for the killing of those soldiers and others – who died in similar circumstances – are brought to book and adequately punished, that the souls of those gallant soldiers will rest in peace. If not at all, to serve a lesson that there is no crime without a corresponding punishment.
Again, the sad realities of Okuama will serve as a hard reminder to the military authorities to be circumspect especially when meddling with communal disputes in order not to expose their men to community hawks, who either laced with hate want to unleash their venom on innocent soldiers, whose task it is to defend the territorial integrity of the country.
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