Saturday, May 18, 2024 - A fresh communal clash is brewing among the people of Okoloba and Okuama communities of Delta State following the withdrawal of soldiers from the area.
The women of Okoloba community in Bomadi
Local Government Area of Delta State on Saturday protested the return of armed
youths to the area.
The black clad women, led by Mrs Timipakebi
Goodwin, chairlady of Okoloba community and Mrs Mary Koibi, secretary, staged a
peaceful protest along the coastal fringe of Okoloba community, chanting
against violence and bloodbath, while also calling on the Federal Government to
come to their aid.
They carried placards with inscriptions such
as ‘We say No to violence’, ‘Enough of the killings on our land’, ‘We say no to
the return of armed youths of Okuama in a commando style’, ‘Resettle Okuama
people among their Ewu brothers in Ughelli South LGA’, ‘We mourn the killing of
the 17 soldiers’, among others.
Mrs Goodwin, in a protest letter, which was
copied to the Police, DSS, NSCDC, JTF as well as the Acting Chairman of Bomadi
LGA, noted that the armed youths could kill at the slightest provocation.
The address read, “Less than 24 hours after
the exit of the troops from Okuama, fresh crisis erupted with another
neighbouring community, culminating in the killing of one person while three
other persons were seriously injured.
“The person who was killed and those who
sustained machete wounds were alleged to have gone there to loot.
“The latest killing showed that the people
of Okuama can kill human at the slightest provocation; the sanctity of human
life means nothing to them. It also shows that neighbouring Ijaw communities
like Okoloba are not safe.
“So, resettling the people of Okuama in
their present location, which is in-between communities in Bomadi local
government area, is an attempt to encourage further communal clashes and
bloodbath.
“Just last week, youths of Okuama community
came out of the Mein-toruabubor creek, which leads to Ewu, on three speedboats
and all of them on camouflage.
“They shot sporadically in the air before
proceeding to Okuama. They moved to and fro the creek three times, and at every
time they shot their guns in the air at the entrance of the creek.
“We are calling on the Federal Government to
come to our aid, and the panacea to these incessant clashes and killings is for
the government to relocate Okuama to Ewu clan in Ughelli south local government
area, where they truly and rightly belong.
“Resettling them among their own people in
Ewu clan of Urhobo land will foster mutual trust among themselves as they are
of the same ancestry and speak the same dialect
”First, we the women of Okoloba community
sympathize with the killing of 17 soldiers and officers of the Nigerian army on
peace and rescue mission to Okuama, following the kidnap of our son.
“We sincerely mourn their untimely death and pray for the repose
of their souls. We also pray for their families.”
It would be recalled that a fresh crisis erupted in Okuama, less
than 24 hours after the exit of the troops from the community, culminating in
the killing of one person while three others were seriously injured.
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