The Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Christopher Musa, has said monarchs in Okuama and other neighbouring communities in Delta are complicit in the murder of 17 Nigerian Army personnel in the state.


Suspected residents of the Okuama Community, on 14 March, ambushed and murdered the Commanding Officer of 181 Army Amphibious Battalion, two majors, one captain and 13 soldiers.

The troops were attacked while responding to a distress call arising from a clash between Okuama and Okoloba communities in the South-southern state.

In response, the Defence Headquarters, on Thursday, declared eight suspects wanted over the murder of the military personnel, including the traditional ruler of Ewu Kingdom in the Ughelli South Local Government Area of Delta State, Clement Ikolo.

Mr Ikolo has since surrendered himself to the police in the state, from where he was whisked away to the Nigerian army Headquarters in Abuja for questioning.

Meanwhile, members of the Traditional Rulers Council of Chiefs in Ewu-Urhobo, Delta State, in a statement on Saturday, called for the immediate release of Ikolo.

The monarchs argued that they and their detained colleague were not connected to the communal crisis that led to the murder of the 17 soldiers.

Reacting to the monarchs’ stance when he appeared on Arise TV, the CDS insisted that the monarchs from the Urhobo tribe within the warring communities could not deny involvement in the murder of the soldiers.

His words: “I have heard the Urhobo leaders talking. I have very serious respect for elders. But I would also like elders to speak from a position of strength.

“They (Urhobo monarchs) cannot say that they do not know what is going on there. I am sure that you know that since they murdered the soldiers, there have been a lot of human sacrifices ongoing in those areas, and it was just part of them showing a way of saying they have strength, and that was why they were able to kill the soldiers.

“We know that a lot of people knew what was going on and kept quiet, and that makes them complicit. Maybe he did not take part directly, but he will not tell us he does not have the knowledge or understanding of what was going on.


“So, those communities know these criminals. Some of them benefit from this act of criminality. But investigations will unravel most of these things.”

Source : https://politicsnigeria.com/okuama-killings-they-know-what-is-going-on-military-accuses-delta-monarchs-of-complicity/

Then allow police to do their job.....you cannot be the judge and jury in your own case.

Hope the innocent doesn't pay the price I the end

Good one from the army kee them in cool blood and burn everything

Ikjec:
One or 2 of them knows something we do not know.

Let them save their community from stress

Why accuse community leaders who are most probably innocent with out irrefutable evidence?
No effort to appear to be politically correct.
The military has never said this of bokoharam or bandit plagued areas.

Morbeta11:
Then allow police to do their job.....you cannot be the judge and jury in your own case.

Police sef no go fit collect the case. Place wey dem deny governor access, you say make police take over. Dey play

Is this not why verydaftman came and caused distraction with his bobrisky nonsense?? When they saw people are asking questions.


That boy will not end well

The killings of the Nigeria army is very disgraceful.looking like they soiled their hands in dirty dealings

The killers will soon be brought to books.....

GOD BLESS OUR GALLANT SOLDIERS over and over again.

God bless our darling soldiers.

Our soldiers need all the support they can get from the government and encouragement from the citizens.

God bless our gallant soldiers as they lay their lives on the line for peace to reign in our darling nation.

crafteck:
I respect u for this picture, says a lot

Thank you,
A picture speaks more than a thousand words!
Dem MANNA the truth in da building.
We will keep killing them with undiluted truths on a weekly basis.

Once again, God bless our Army.

Again, God bless Our Gallant and Darling Soldiers.

Ozommadu:

Is this not why verydaftman came and caused distraction with his bobrisky nonsense?? When they saw people are asking questions.

That boy will not end well

What is VDM own in all of these.
Are you normal, asking respectfully.
Putting the blames of the killings of 12 soldiers on VDM??
Is everything okay with you or are you into fraudulent activities by hating him so much?
Truth is bitter to your ilks.
Get well soon.

Meanwhile Collectiii....

I don’t doubt the Army, just as I don’t doubt our leaders might know who the Fulani bandits are.
I’m not trying to derail, but in a community where terrorism thrives, its leaders know who the perpetrators are, but choose to keep mute.
It’s on a probability regardless, and that’s why intelligence is needed to fish out the killers of army in okuama.
17 lives taken, whether civilian or military, you must demand an answer, you must demand to fish out the killers by all means. Let the army do whatever it takes to bring the killers to book(which must not involve taking another human life)
Two wrongs doesn’t make right

This is nonsensical of the Nigeria Army to generally accuse Delta state monarchs.

What happened intelligence?

Is this the norm in the North?

Nigerian Army is taking this too far since they had intel on happenings why did they loose guard

Hmmm

Kosisochukwu12:


Source : https://politicsnigeria.com/okuama-killings-they-know-what-is-going-on-military-accuses-delta-monarchs-of-complicity/

Una no dey shame.

Proper investigation the NA can't even conduct. Throwing tantrums like babies on the Internet

Even the Army is being economical with what it's men were doing there and their involvement in a supposed land dispute

How many times has the military accused emirs see you people should stop this one sided thing

But Northern monarch don't know what is going on

those wey nor buy go pay

True, the killing of military personel is highly condemnable and should not happen.

The military should come with clean hands, stop killing of civillians, stop attacking villages then do a thorough investigation instead of dwelling on assumptions.

May we NOT be unfortunate

Kosisochukwu12:


Source : https://politicsnigeria.com/okuama-killings-they-know-what-is-going-on-military-accuses-delta-monarchs-of-complicity/

It means the military knows what is going on in the bandit and Boko Haram states .

Stop blabbing. Provide evidence
that they are involved or hush.

No one has accused any Ogun state monarch for being an accomplice despite the fact it is the headquarters of skull mining.

It is the lack of intelligence that has been one of the weakness of 9ja military.

Whatever the investigation is all about, there should be a timeframe. Denying the Governor access to the community is not the best decision.

But the Army spokesman said they were killed by the ritualist.

zeuss:


Why accuse community leaders who are most probably innocent with out irrefutable evidence?
No effort to appear be politically correct.
The military has never said this of bokoharam or bandit plagued areas.

The Army is a Northern element of occupation in the South.

They will never attack villages in the North or dare speak to Northern leaders the way they disrespect our leaders in the Niger Delta.

Now we know why the words on the Army logo is in Arabic not English.

Assuming they are arresting emirs in the north there will be no boko haram today