The fires raged around the triangular river mouth of the South-South region following an atrocious act committed within the Okuama Community in Ughelli South Local Government Area of Delta State.

As most fires do, they spread, so even the neighbouring Bayelsa State has not been spared. The last of these issues remains to be heard.

Below are six questions many Nigerians are asking, even as many try to make sense of the rather troubling situation at the moment.

How Did This ‘Fire’ Start?

There are several versions of the story; however, they all have one root. It all began in the early hours of Saturday, March 16th, when the Nigerian Army recovered about 14 lifeless bodies of soldiers killed by members of the Okuama Community.

The men were under the supervision of the General Officer Commanding 6 Division Nigerian Army, Major General Jamal Abdusalam; sadly, neither the soldiers nor the battalion’s commanding officer – Lt Col. AH Ali, would live to tell the story of a peace mission gone diabolic.

Reports suggest that some of the recovered bodies were beheaded; others with mutilated parts, while some had their stomachs and hearts ripped out. It was indeed a horrific sight to behold, authorities with the army recount.

According to the military, the troops of the 181 Amphibious Battalion of the Nigerian Army were on a peaceful and mediatory mission after a reported case of communal clash between Okuama and Okoloba Communities in Ughelli South and Bomadi LGAs of Delta State respectively.

Authorities say the soldiers were ambushed and murdered in cold blood, by an armed youth gang of the community, in the most sacrilegious manner, a move which led the army to invade the community in search of the culprits who killed a Commanding Officer, two Majors, one Captain, twelve soldiers and a civilian.

Some residents of Okuama however, do not agree with the account of the military. These residents have been quoted as saying that the army did not tell the entire truth about what transpired in the Delta community, leading to the killing of the soldiers.

According to the residents whom many publications have quoted anonymously, the army carried out a mass killing two days earlier. They say the soldiers had visited their community for a peacekeeping mission and were received in the town hall.

All seemed fine until the soldiers asked to take Okuama’s community chiefs away, causing the community to suspect foul play. Based on this suspicion, the people stood their ground saying the chiefs would not be taken away.

This move is said to have angered the officers and “right there in the community town hall, the soldiers started shooting our people” the residents were quoted as saying.

“They killed many of the young people there. People started running; some were killed instantly. Nobody expected any shooting. The army went and came back with more reinforcement. About twenty more people were killed immediately,” they added.

This claim however has been debunked by the army, with authorities saying that the story is a cheap ploy to buy sympathy and cover up for the dastard act carried out in Okuama.

What Caused The Clash Between Okuama And Okoloba?

Sources say the neighbouring communities have been engaged in a communal land dispute since January 27, 2024, when some youths from Okoloba were said to have ambushed and killed three Okuama youths, Igho Meshack, Godspower Awusa, and Okiemute Agbabuleke, over an age-long land dispute in the area as they were returning from Okwagbe.

According to reports, the corpses of the deceased were said to have been hidden by the assailants. Some Okuama youths in retaliation reportedly ambushed one Mr Anthony Aboh, an indigene of Okoloba, and held him hostage.

Upon catching wind of the hostage situation, the Chairman of the Okoloba community alerted the Divisional Police Officer, Bomadi Police Division, the Joint Task Force, the Department of State Service, and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps.

It was gathered that the JTF swiftly swung into action and moved to Okuama to rescue the hostage, and there, the aggrieved youths of Okuama, on sighting the JTF personnel allegedly opened fire on them at the waterfront, killing some soldiers with some others missing.

Witnesses say the gun battle that ensued was very fierce and it left soldiers sustaining severe bullet wounds. At least two wounded soldiers, who managed to escape, are said to have been admitted to an undisclosed hospital in Bomadi.

Could The Soldiers Have Been Killed By Mercenaries Or Militants?

Five days after the incident, the Senate met to deliberate and the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, said the culprits of the hideous crime might be mercenaries, rather than people from the Niger Delta region.

“I don’t want you to conclude. I don’t believe these people are from the Niger Delta – those who did the killings,” Akpabio said, interjecting Senator Edeh Dafinone who represents Delta Central, and at the time, was raising a motion calling for relief and assistance to victims of the attack.

The Senate President urged that the legislators push for an investigation to be carried out in a bid to know if those who committed the barbaric act against the army were mercenaries from outside Niger Delta.

Akpabio’s take on the orchestrators of the crime however, does not sit well with many Nigerians, including elder statesman from the region, Chief Edwin Clark, who says it is difficult to believe that mercenaries were the ones who killed the soldiers in Okuama.

The Niger Delta region has in the past had militants threaten the socio-economic activities within the region as part of efforts to make the government pay attention to the plight of the people following the devastation left by the exploration of crude.

However, many leaders of the South-South say they are sure that the recent killings in Okuama have nothing to do with militants, as for many years the Nigerian government has been able to broker peace with warlords of the region through various interventions including the amnesty initiative.

What Is President Tinubu’s Position On The Matter?

Having received briefings on the situation in Okuama, President Bola Tinubu in line with the Senate ordered the military to apprehend the killers of the Nigerian Army personnel who were on a peace mission.

Tinubu, in a statement he signed, declared, that the ‘cowardly offenders’ responsible for the heinous crime will not go unpunished.

While noting that the military high command was already responding to this incident, the president gave fresh orders for asking the military to ensure that all those connected to the killing would be apprehended and prosecuted by the law.

Why Was Igbomoturu Community In Bayelsa Invaded by Troops?

While many can understand that flames – even the fire of a treasonous act such as that committed in Okuama, can spread wildly, some are still confused as to why the Igbomoturu Community in Bayelsa has been invaded by the Nigerian troops, in connection to the events within Delta State.

Perhaps, the answer is not far-fetched.

Sources say troops of the Nigerian Army on Monday morning invaded Igbomotoru community in the Southern Ijaw Local Government Area, in a bid to track down the hideout of a militant leader who was allegedly involved in the killing of the soldiers in Okuama.

It Is reported that the soldiers in more than five gunboats invaded the community, razing three houses suspected to be the hideout of a militant leader whose name remains undisclosed at this time.

How Many Innocent Ones Have Been Killed, Has Anyone Been Arrested Yet?

In carrying out the order from President Bola Tinubu, the military has combed the warring communities in Delta State and parts of Bayelsa, arresting several persons including three prime suspects.

There are however, several stories of how the army in its bid to bring the Okuama killers to justice, have killed many innocent individuals, some caught in the crossfire between the troops and militants trying to evade arrest. However, many of these claims are yet to be substantiated.

Many houses have been razed and families have in the last few days been forced to flee their homes lest they be a part of the casualty statistics.

The army in addressing many of the concerns raised, has said that its troops are handling the Okuama situation professionally, adding that resorting to propaganda in the face of the gruesome murder of its personnel is callous and utterly condemnable.

In a communiqué by its spokesman, Major General Onyema Nwachukwu, the army assured Nigerians that there will be no reprisal for law-abiding citizens, stressing that activities are being scaled up to positively identify and isolate criminals to account for their atrocious deeds. (Channels TV)

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