Okuama/Army Conflict: Would Hasty Presidential Conclusion Heal Wounds, Give Hope?

BY EGUONO ODJEGBA

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu by virtue of his office is the father of the nation.  This makes him father of all Nigerians, both human and corporate citizens, nationalities,  sections, institutions, tribes and tongues; spiritual and corporal.

In view of his enormous responsibility, he is expected to exercise utmost fidelity in dealing with matters that affects the national security, conflicts and disturbances by whatever hues and colours; divorced of sentiments.

Accordingly, his statement following the reported killings of military personnel deployed to quell communal disturbances between Okuama and Okoloba, two riverine communities in Delta State comes across a very disturbing episode. Disturbing in the sense that Mr. President may have literally asked the military to go on a revenge mission; knowing the trademark of our military expeditions at a time like this.

The  concern is more so that al already emotionally bruised army is asked to go smoke out its supposed attackers, even under a rather hazy situation. Hence, it comes across as rather hasty even as most Nigerians think the order is lacking in presidential grace; especially so when evidences of the conflicts and failed intervention that accompanied it are still sketchy.

This country have suffered presidential actions borne on the spur of the moment in the past, that our leaders must think twice before engaging in another reckless repeat. Executive rascality should have no place in modern day politics; Nigeria can ill afford that.

Reporting the presidential order, the Nation’s Newspaper, one of the leading national dailies don its the headline: ‘Tinubu orders action against killers of 16 officers, soldiers’,  with the following sub headlines:  • Houses razed, community deserted. • Oborevwori, PANDEF condole with families; published on March 18, 2024.

The reports reads: “President Bola Ahmed Tinubu yesterday expressed deep displeasure over the killing of army officers and soldiers on a peace mission in a Delta State community, describing it as a direct affront to the nation.

“Outrage greeted the dastardly act yesterday from Nigerians, who viewed the situation as unbecoming. The military, which expressed indignation, was ordered by the President to fish out the killers and bring them to book. The President in a statement, he personally signed, directed the military to immediately arrest the perpetrators.”

Condoling with the “families of these fallen soldiers, their colleagues and their loved ones,” the President assured that those behind the “heinous crime will not go unpunished.”

“The Defence Headquarters and Chief of Defence Staff (Gen. Christopher Musa) have been granted full authority to bring to justice anybody found to have been responsible for this unconscionable crime against the Nigerian people.”

Consequent on the presidential directive, the newspaper states further:

“The Nation gathered that there was a strong military presence in the troubled community.

“The operatives were said to have gone to the Ijaw community to free one Anthony Aboh, an indigene of neighbouring Okoloba, who was allegedly abducted on Wednesday over a land dispute between the two communities.

“Residents of Okuama had reportedly fled in their hundreds before some of their homes were set ablaze.”

While some of the mainstream national dailies reported that military personnel killed at Okuama, Ughelli South Local Government Area of Delta State include a Lieutenant Colonel, two Majors, and one Captain, 12 soldiers and a civilian; others news mediums report that several villagers were killed and injured.

The other news outlet equally reported that many who embarked on blind escape through the swamps and rivers were still unaccounted for as at the time Aso Rock directed a march down on the town.

Without going into details, it is no longer news that no one could claim to be in possession of the true account of what transpired at Okuama; and hence there exist plausible benefits of doubt, following the different accounts that have been pushed by various stakeholders.

In the light of the above, relying exclusively on the account of the military tend to cast aspersions on other members of the society and however one tries to be objective in understanding the position of Aso Rock, the directive for the military who have become part of the crisis amount to undertake an investigation would amount to some sort of national disservice.

As the father of the nation, it is President Tinubu’s place to express shock at the development, his high office not only oblige him to order immediate investigation into the fracas but also imposes on him the leadership restraint to hear from all sides to avoid jumping into conclusion.

A simple interpretation of his directive clearly gave him up as supporting the military’s narrative, while by inference; he appears uninterested in the position of the community at the receiving end.  One cannot imagine that Mr. President would adopt same posture or reaction if Okuama was a community in the North West or North East region of Nigeria.

President Tinubu must take charge of Nigeria as the father and political leader, and must be seen to adjudicate and dispense fairness and justice in all matters. His government should not be seen as promoting the threads of majority-minority dichotomy; both sides must enjoy equal social justice, even more so at a time of conflict.

The rush to criminalize the minority people of Delta State as it were by hasty decision makings that clearly puts one out as the trouble maker without the enabling evidences amounts to scandalizing such minority and all and everyone primordially bond by it.

Only a sick mind would condone attack on our military and indeed our security apparatus, talk less of killings of operatives; it is the most reprehensible thing to imagine and therefore, must be condemned in its entirety.

However, since two wrongs don’t make a right, and since the unfortunate event appears shrouded in suspicion, the next immediate response is for government to mobilize security forces to the location to safeguard the town and its people; and follow that up with a probe of the incident.

All things being equal, the probe is expected to make arrest of suspects in Okuama and Okoloba; and with the right leadership, also subject those deployed including the deploying authority to investigation.

That is the only civilized, social, political and morally reassuring approach that is healthy, acceptable, convincing and healing. Sending troops to go and further investigate a community they were reportedly involved in evading, a community and people already on the edge of trauma, doesn’t demonstrate hope of any kind. The matter is settled with the immortal epitaph of the Guardian Newspaper which says ‘Conscience is an open wound. Only truth can heal it.’

Unfortunately, successive governments and the military have found it very easy, entertaining and sometimes pleasurable to behave as they please with Nigerians in the South-South and South East in an overbearing manner, and with indescribable dose of arrogance.

It is on record how Abuja has supported heavy clampdown on minority localities in the region, sometimes without provocation and at other times, at the least provocation. The records are there, and this does not give a good reminder of what our minorities passes through in the hand of the federal power.

What really happened? This is where the federal government ought to begin the inquest. There are many angles to the mayhem at Okuama, which has so far clearly put question marks on the report of the military, and this is where responsible governance and charismatic leadership comes in.

While it is not the intendment of this article to delve into the different versions, since they are in the public domain; suffice it to state that this government should desist from relying on the single story angle presented by the military. President Tinubu and his government must show transparent leadership by ensuring that the whole matter is captured in its entire perspective, to make it possible to identify the truth, and also make it possible for the truth to be preserved for posterity.

While it is on record that others like the Delta State Governor, Sheriff Oborevwori; Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), Northern Governors’ Forum, Ijaw Youth Council (IYC), Urhobo Progressive Union (UPU), Alumni Association of the National Institute (AANI) and Clement Ikolo, the traditional ruler of Ewu Kingdom, where Okuama is located has condemned the killings; there is no doubt they all expect the truth of what happened to be laid on the table.

Incidentally, Governor Sheriff Oborevwori has reportedly caved into the military narrative and accepted responsibility on behalf of the people of Okuama and Delta State for the killing of the soldiers, observers nonetheless think that the governor’s position appears self serving and not based on the factual rigours of what may have transpired.

The Delta State Governor have been asked to demonstrate greater resilience and to demand proper accountability that will put the issues in its right perspective; rather than fawning to please external authorities.

In a statement by his Chief Press Secretary Festus Ahon, Governor Oborevwori said his government was “gravely disturbed by the killings of the officers and soldiers because the act was as alien to the culture of Deltans”.

Like the President, he commiserated with the families of slain military men.

“This incident is despicable and not in sync with the culture and tradition of Deltans. It runs contrary to the values and path of peace that the state government is promoting,” he lamented.

However, commenting on the development, the Urhobo Media Practitioners Advocacy Group (UMPAG), said it received with rude shock the heinous and dastardly murder of  the 16 military personnel, said to have happened around the bank of Okuama community in Ewu Kingdom in the Ughelli South Local Government Area of Delta State.

The group which also frowned at the said killing of indigenes of the community expressed worry that attempts are being made to twist the facts of the matter. The group’s statement signed by Mr. Onojeghen Theophilus Okpare, Secretary, and Mr. Shedrack Onitsha, Executive Member, said:

“From information available to us, there is a grand conspiracy to twist the facts of the bizarre incident to paint one party as savages and adjudge another as saints.  From our findings, the incident is coming on the heels of the renewed crisis over a land dispute between Okuama community in Ughelli South and Okoloba community in Bomadi Local Government Areas of the state.

“The Urhobos of Okuama community in Ewu Kingdom have lived peacefully with their Okoloba neighbours for ages. Both communities have robust inter-marriages and can even speak both Urhobo and Ijaw languages fluently.

We have also been informed that leading from the killings of the personnel, Okuama community has been completely razed down by angry soldiers. The situation has sacked peace and law abiding citizens of Okuama community, especially when it has not been established that Okuama youths were responsible for this gruesome killing of the military men.

“This, too, we strongly condemn in strong terms. While we commiserate with the Nigerian military, the Federal Government and the Delta State Government on the unwarranted killing of these personnel, we join other Nigerians to demand for an independent investigation and arrest of the culprits.”

Going forward, UMPAG tasked the Delta State Government and the Nigerian Army to constitute a joint panel of enquiry to unravel the cause of what led to the deployment of troops on the said peace mission to Okuama and Okoloba communities; in addition to the immediate cause(s) of the regrettable killing of the soldiers.

To avoid cover-up, the group urged the FG, Delata State and the Military panel probe to establish the following:

1. The true mission of the soldiers to Okuama and Okoloba communities?
2. Whether or not the Ovie (King) of Ewu Kingdom and his subjects were informed of the military visit on a peace mission?
3. When and how the Executive Governor of Delta State, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori was informed of the PEACE mission?
4. Why the situation report came from DPO Bomadi, and not DPO, Otu-Jeremi?
5. Why the military, stationed in Bomadi, embark on a “PEACE” mission to Okuama in Ughelli South, without the involvement of DPO Jeremi, and local government officials?
6. Why the military “PEACE” mission escorted by Ijaw youths?
7. Why the civilian members of the “PEACE” mission survived to tell the story, yet no military man survived?
8. Who amongst the critical stakeholders endorsed the peace mission?
9. Why the situation report come from DPO Bomadi, and not DPO, Otu-Jeremi?
10. Why the police, DSS and other sister security agencies were not involved in the military peace mission?
11. Why the military peace mission concentrated only on Okuama community and not Okoloba.
12. Why the bodies of the slain military personnel were supposedly killed at Okuoma but recovered from the Forcados River?
13. Who the civilians that escorted the military to Okuama were and how they survived while the soldiers were killed?

The government and people of Nigeria will be able to reach an informed conclusion of what actually happened at Okuama and Okoloba as regards the feud between the two communities, and as regards the killing of the military personnel, only based on an impartial probe not left to one of the concerned parties.