By Godwin Oghre

Sapele—It was
pandemonium in Okirighwre
in Sapele Local Government
Area of Delta State, weekend,
as youths no fewer than 500,
protested what they
described as unwarranted
killing of one of their
members by the Joint Military
Task Force, with base in
Koko, Warri North Local
Government Area of the
state.

The youths under the aegis
of Okirighwre youths,
matched through major
roads, causing heavy traffic
jam on the Okirighwre/Warri
highway. The youths accused
JTF operatives of killing one
Mr. Ogbotor Usieme, a.k.a
Egede, whom they described
as a peaceful young man,
whose wife, Doris Usieme,
gave birth to a baby boy,
three months ago.

Spokesman of the youths, Mr
David Akponome told
Vanguard that the said
Ogbotor Usieme went out to
check on a friend about 8pm
on Thursday night, when he
was accosted by a team of
JTF men on Okeretagba Road
in Okirighwre, whom they
alleged, opened fire on him
and killed him on the spot.

Akponome also alleged that
after the JTF men had shot
and killed him, they took his
lifeless body to the Delta
State University Hospital, that
night, where doctors
confirmed him dead and his
body was later taken to JTF
base in Koko, while the
family members were yet to
recover it.

Another youth, who spoke
on condition of anonymity
and gave a difference
account, said, the victim was
the leader of one of the two
factions of youth groups,
which had taken up arms
against each other and from
whom the JTF men had
commenced disarming in
the last two weeks. He
alleged that during the last
disarmament session,
recently, many of the youths
surrounded their arms under
the watchful eyes of some
top officials of Delta State
Government headed by the
Secretary to the State
Government, Mr. Ovuzorie
Macaulay, adding that the JTF
men who shot and killed the
victim were on arm recovery
mission and shot the victim,
when he was about to
escape from check by JTF
men.

A senior Police officer in
Sapele, told Vanguard in
confidence, that the JTF men
were on a mission following
a tip off of a robbery attack
in the area, and that the JTF
men must have responded to
a distress call. He added that
the JTF men shot the suspect,
when he was trying to
escape from a robbery scene.
He said the suspect was shot
by soldiers and not police
men.

www.vanguardngr.com/2012/07/youths-protest-alleged-killing-of-member-by-jtf-in-delta/