Lessons from Okuama Killings

Apart from security agencies’ culpability, by sponsoring heavily armed gangs to perpetrate violence during elections and rewarding the leaders of violent non-state actors with appointments and contracts, political leaders in the Niger Delta are vicariously liable for the recent killing of 17 officers and men of the Nigerian Army by suspected irate youths in the creeks of Delta State, Ejiofor Alike writes

The recent killing of 17 officers and men of the Nigerian Army by an armed gang at Okuama community in Ughelli South Local Government Area (LGA) in Delta State was the most atrocious and audacious act against the Nigerian state by any non-state actor in recent years.

For many, no word can describe such cruel, insensitive, inhuman and senseless crime against humanity.

Different accounts have been given on the cause of the incident, while questions have been raised on the legitimacy or otherwise of the soldiers’ peace mission to the Okuama community.

Okuama community, an Urhobo community in Ughelli South LGA, is located along the Forcados River, and shares boundaries with the Ijaw-speaking Akugbene and Okoloba communities in Bomadi LGA of Delta State.

Okuama and Okoloba communities had lived together peacefully for over three centuries until boundary dispute tore them apart.

According to one account, a man named Anthony Aboh from Okoloba community was allegedly abducted by Okuama people and his beheaded body was later found floating on Forcados River with his hands tied.

An enraged Okoloba people were said to have reported the incident to the military in Bomadi LGA, and the military operatives proceeded to Okuama community on March 14, 2024.

The soldiers were said to have met with the elders of Okuama community, who denied responsibility for the abduction and killing of the Okoloba youth, and their denial reportedly made the soldiers to insist on arresting the community leaders.

According to the sources in the community, information got to the youths that soldiers had come to terrorise the community and the youths laid ambush and killed the 16 soldiers.

Meanwhile, in a trending TikTok video, the suspected leader of the gang that killed the soldiers has dismissed reports that the soldiers were on a peace mission to the community.

Speaking in pidgin English in the video, which he said could be his last, he claimed that the soldiers were rather there to fight on behalf of the neighbouring Okoloba community in the lingering land dispute.

According to the gang leader, the soldiers earlier came and took away some people and allegedly killed them, only to come back to arrest Okuama community leaders.

In an apparent defence of the Okuama community in an advertorial published in a national daily, the Urhobo Renaissance Society (URS), wondered why military officers could embark on such peace mission without the knowledge of Governor Sheriff Oborevwori; the Ovie (King) of Ewu Kingdom, and the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of Otu-Jeremi.

“If the king, the President General (PG), DPO of Jeremi and local government officials were not involved, who were those to sign the peace accord? Why were the police, Department of State Services (DSS) and other sister security agencies not involved in the military peace mission to Okuama?”  URS queried.

However, the Nigerian Army last Monday accused the community of resorting to propaganda.

Director of Army Public Relations, Major General Onyema Nwachukwu said in a statement that no amount of propaganda would stop the culprits from being punished. 

Onyema alleged that rather than provide assistance to arrest the perpetrators of the crime, the community was dishing out propaganda.

While accusing fingers are being pointed at Okuama community, what is not in the public domain is the culpability of political leaders and security agencies operating in the Niger Delta in the heinous crimes being committed by militants in the region.

Since the return of democracy in 1999, political leaders in the oil-producing region have been sponsoring deadly criminal gangs to perpetrate electoral violence. After elections, these armed groups would resort to crude oil theft and illegal bunkering of oil.

With the official protection these non-state actors enjoy, they have become so brazen that they wear military camouflage and record videos where they display high-calibre weapons, while the security agencies look the other way. 

Heads of security agencies in the Niger Delta know the notorious leaders of these gangs but condone their criminal activities to ingratiate themselves with their sponsors.

It took the killing and beheading of the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of Ahoada Local Government Area (LGA) of the Rivers State, SP Bako Angbashim, by a dangerous cult group led by one Gift David Okpara Okpolowu, a.k.a 2-Baba, for the police to go after the criminal gang.

Before the dreaded cult leader and his gang murdered the DPO, security agents in the state were aware of their activities but gave them official protection to remain in the good books of the political leaders in the state.

It was not surprising that the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Christopher Musa, while speaking on the killing of the soldiers, admitted that “we know who did it and we are following up on him; we are going to get him.”

The CDS was obviously referring to the leader of the gang, which shows that security agencies knew about his criminal exploits before the dastardly act.

The killing of soldiers should serve as a lesson to heads of the various security agencies who condone the excesses of criminals in their areas of responsibility to ingratiate themselves with the paymasters of the dreaded criminal groups.

Another key lesson is that security agencies, particularly the Nigerian Army should stop their excesses and other acts of impunity against the civilian population.

Nigerian soldiers have become notorious for unleashing terror on the civilian population at the slightest provocation and this has provoked youths to carry arms against security agents, leading to the proliferation of heavily armed non-state actors across the country.

Political leaders who reward these criminals with political appointments and pipeline protection contracts are also complicit. In most cases, the pipeline protection contracts are awarded without proper consultations.

Speaking on the killing of the soldiers, a former Director of the Department of State Services (DSS), Mike Ejiofor, said an independent probe of the gruesome killing will indict some Very Important Personalities (VIPs).

He said: “A lieutenant colonel, two majors cannot on their own just move out on a peace-keeping mission in a community. There is so much to this incident that must be found out.”

It has become a tradition for political leaders to issue public condemnations against the atrocities committed by the boys who work for them. Politicians who win elections by perpetrating violence should be exposed before Nigeria is overrun by criminals.

Heads of security agencies should also fish out warlords in their various areas of responsibility.