By Amgbare Prince, Yenagoa
The President of Ijaw Youth Council Worldwide, Sir Jonathan Lokpobiri has cautioned the Nigerian Army against further invasion of communities in Bayelsa State over the killing of soldiers in Okuama in Ughelli South Local Government Area of Delta State.
The IYC President made the remarks while fielding questions from journalists in Yenagoa.
Sir Jonathan Lokpobiri said the incident was a sad and ugly commentary in the history of the Niger Delta where officers and men of the Nigerian Army on active service were gruesomely murdered not on a battle field but simply on peace mission in response to a distress call to intervene in an intra- communal crisis between Okuama, an Urhobo community and Okoloba and Ijaw community that have coexisted for several decades.
The IYC President said it was very difficult to describe the level of pain of the military and families of the slain officers and soldiers.
He said no responsible government and well meaning citizen would condone such a brazen affront on the military.
Sir Jonathan Lokpobiri described the action as very barbaric and an invitation to arnachy and roundly condemned the perpetrators of the heinous crime saying that the IYC struggle does not subscribe to violence.
Speaking further, Sir Jonathan Lokpobiri expressed dismay over the manner the military is attacking communities in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of Bayelsa State particularly Igbomotoru town where houses have been burnt down including the house of a notable politician and former Commissioner, Hon. Kesiye Frank Oputu with scores of people shot and killed with dead bodies littering the town, and others floating in the River Nun.
He noted that some times people are accused of crimes they know nothing about while stating that he is not disproving whatever evidence available to the military but urged them to carry out discreet investigation to fish out the culprit adding that what had happened in Delta State as sad as it is he never expected it to snowball to a situation where an entire community in Bayelsa State is made to suffer the greatest brunt of the conflict.
He emphasized that the rational thing for the military to do is to follow the rules of engagement working with community leaders to go after the criminals and stop subjecting innocent people to unimaginable torture and avoid the Odi massacre as pictoral and video evidence circulating in the social media points to that direction.
The IYC President stated that after thorough independent investigation and if the people of Igbomotoru town are not involved in the killing of the soldiers in Okuama, council will sue the Federal Government and the Nigerian Military to pay adequate compensation to the community.
Sir Jonathan Lokpobiri enjoined Community Leaders not to allow outlaws to live in their communities but hand them over to law enforcement agents for necessary action and advised everyone to be peaceful and law abiding in order to avoid future ugly incidents of this magnitude.
