Okuama killings: Villagers shun Reps hearing over fear of arrest

In Warri, Delta State, on Wednesday, members of the House of Representatives Committee on Defense convened for the planned inquiry into the deaths of seventeen military soldiers at Okuama village, located in the Ughelli South Local Government Area of Delta State.

The House resolved to look into the incident’s remote causes during its meeting on March 19, and that resolution was followed by the investigative hearing.

According to Opinion Nigeria report, while on a peacekeeping assignment in Okuama, 17 military personnel—including a Lieutenant Colonel, two Majors, and a Captain—were ambushed and slain by as-yet-unidentified gunmen.

After the event, military soldiers destroyed and leveled homes in the Okuama riverine settlement in what was thought to be retaliation. The residents fled to the nearby bushes of Ewu Kingdom.

Members of the House committee, under the direction of Babajimi Benson, arrived to the Government House Annex, Edjeba, in the state’s Warri South Local Government Area at approximately 10.45 a.m., but they had to wait an interminable amount of time for residents of the unrest-plagued Okuama neighborhood to give their presentations.

Nevertheless, sources said that the people did not appear during the waiting period due to “fear of arrest or intimidation by the military.”

But in a statement to the media, the committee chairman claimed that various parties had provided the committee with helpful memoranda regarding the occurrence.

Benson also gave Okuama natives false hope that “there would be no witch-hunt whatsoever,” so allaying any concerns they may have had about their safety.

He instructed the general public to submit memoranda in ten copies to the committee within a week if they were willing to do so.

He said they might present such memoranda at the public investigative hearing or to Musa Aliyu, the committee clerk, at the National Assembly in Abuja.

The House of Representatives Committee on Defence expressed its anticipation of a lively exchange of ideas and significant input from all parties involved.

“We came in yesterday (Tuesday). We met Governor Oborevwori and we told him our mission. We’re here today (Wednesday) to see members of the community on camera and by way of memoranda.

“We’ve received a lot of memoranda from them but they’ve not turned out physically. The window is extended for a week. So we’re still expecting a lot more memorandum from the people of Okuama community.

“We’ve assured the governor and the people that we have the full backing of the House of Representatives to ensure that this matter is reviewed from both sides and followed to a logical conclusion.”

Benson assured the villagers of protection, urging them to come forward.

He said, “The community people are scared to come out vis-a-vis another list of wanted people being released. They have sent in a memorandum and we’re still giving them a week to turn in a further memorandum in the next one week.

“The Clerk of the house is receiving the memory. We’ve dedicated our time to ensure justice is done and people return to their community, perhaps better than it was before. We need to be fully armed with enough information before we visit Okuama. We will visit the place after hearing from the victims themselves,” he said.