The Mayor of Urhoboland and an ex-militant leader, Eshanekpe Israel a.k.a Akpodoro, has commended the Delta State Governor, Elder Sheriff Oborevwori, for his stance and support for the investigative panel of inquiry into the mayhem that claimed the lives of 17 military personnel in Okuama, Ughelli South Local Government Area of Delta.
This was made known by the former warlord in a release made available to journalists in Abuja, the federal capital territory.
He noted that even though it is morally questionable that the military has assumed a judge in its own case, the anomaly is already established but that the military institution should protect its integrity by coming out clean in the matter.
He said, “The world is watching us and this is a litmus test for the integrity of our military.”
Mayor Akpodoro expressed satisfaction over the interest shown in the matter thus far by the governor as he called on the military authority to ensure that being the Chief Executive Officer of the State, Governor Sheriff must be carried along every inch of the investigation into the cruelty that greeted the area last month.
In as much as the killing of the 17 soldiers remains condemnable, Akpodoro said it is also trite for the world to know at what point did the military get involved in a land feud between Okoloba and Okuama communities to warrant the invasion of one community leaving the other out.
He said: “We seek to know why the first team of soldiers chose Okuama and not Okoloba, without the police, DSS, traditional rulers, opinion leaders, presidents general, and youth leaders of both communities present.”
The governor, being the eye of his people, the mayor noted, should be allowed to balance representation on both sides – military and civilians.
“We do not forsee intimidation of the citizens neither do we hope to see the military further trample upon our peoples’ rights in the course of investigation into that dastardly act of the killing of that number of soldiers and the subsequent magnitude of “vengeful attacks on civil population particularly the bombardment of Okuama community where everyone couldn’t have been handed guilty verdict.”
“The governor has shown sufficient concern in the panel of inquiry and should be given the latitude to contribute his quota to the success of the panel.
“At the risk of pre-empting the panel, we want to know why the first team of soldiers stormed Okuama on a so-called peace mission and at whose behest? Who made that ill motivated distress call to the soldiers? These and others are what we want the panel to unravel.
“It is good the military comes out unscathed in all of these to forestall litigations like we saw in Odi, Zakibiam and Okproza, Bayelsa, Benue and Delta States respectively where the military had visited mayhem in the past due to avoidable show of brute force.
“We insist that the military evacuate the occupied territory in the Niger Delta region to pave the way for peaceful interrogation of those days when blood, tears, and sorrows were the lot of our people.
“King Clement Ikolo, who is currently being held by the Defence Headquarters, should be released unconditionally because he knows nothing about the killings neither did he derelict in his duty just as the Professor of Applied Physics, Arthur Ekpokpo be allowed his freedom of movement and association as guaranteed by the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“While the nation mourned the 17 fallen heroes, the Urhobo nation mourned their fellow innocent kits and kins lost to the carnage that greeted the killing of our soldiers. It was very unfortunate. We faithfully await the outcome of the panel of investigation,” the Mayor stated.
