The bereaved families and friends of some of the police officers who were ambushed and killed while investigating the disappearance of three colleagues by unknown persons in Delta State have demanded justice for their loved ones.

The spokesperson for the Nigeria Police Force, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, had disclosed the killing of the six police officers in a statement on Saturday and added that six other officers were missing, with five suspects arrested in connection with the killings.

Adejobi said the deceased officers include Inspector Abe Olubunmi, Inspector Friday Irorere, Sergeant Kuden Elisha, Sergeant Akpan Aniette, Sergeant Ayere Paul, and Sergeant Ejemito Friday.

Those declared missing include Inspector Onoja Daniel, Inspector Onogho Felix, Inspector Emmanuel Okoroafor, Inspector Joel Hamidu, Sergeant Moses Eduvie, and Sergeant Cyril Okorie.

While the deceased victims’ families shared their sorrow and lamentation on various Facebook accounts, which were seen by our correspondent on Sunday, other relatives as well as protesters faulted the NPF for not opening up on the incident for several weeks before revealing to the public and families the circumstances that led to the incident.

In a live video that lasted for about three minutes and 33 seconds and was shared by Osaretin Wiseman on March 7, 2024, relatives were seen crying as police officers took the remains of Friday Irorere, one of the slain officers, to what was suspected to be his home.

Women and children were seen in the video mourning and wailing as other police officers prepared the late officer’s coffin to be lowered into the grave.

Our correspondent also heard a man’s voice, who was suspected to be behind the recording, saying the officers would be missed by family and friends.

The voice said, “Goodbye, father. We will miss you. We will miss you so dearly. We will miss you forever. Even your colleagues are all crying.”

In another post shared by a Wiseman, he described the late Irorere as a father who had helped him out of the street.

“You’ve been like a father to me since I moved to this street five years ago. It’s difficult to say goodbye. I will forever miss you, dear gallant officer, Friday Irorere,” Wiseman wrote.

A Facebook user identified as Oyemwense Eze added in the comment section, “Rest in peace, Daddy.”

“Rest in peace, brother and friend,” Flourish Moses added.

Others, such as Aigburemwen Esther Chinyere, expressed their shock, saying, “So it is true that Papa Israel is gone? God, I can’t hold back my tears. I didn’t know that today was his burial. Nobody tells me, including my siblings. I should have been there. Chai e pain me.”

Meanwhile, the brother of Ayere Paul, another victim of the ambush, who goes by the Facebook name Ayereakhere Paul, wrote, “Rest on Blood. Almighty God will fight those who have a hand in your death, and you too should go after them till they find no peace in their lives and their generation. IJN Amen.”

A family friend identified as Charles Emonyon wrote, “This is so hard to accept, especially when it has to do with the younger folks, but that’s the way life is at times. My condolences to the family of Otono Ayera.”

“Your killer will never have peace in Jesus’ name; rest in peace, brother,” prayed Ehiosun Austin.

A Facebook user, Iyoha Michael, wrote, “May his soul and the souls of all the faithful who departed through the mercy of God rest in peace. Amen. Rest on my brother.”

Abu Arun added, “Rest in peace, ever smiling face. May Almighty God give you ever-resting peace, wherever you are. Rest in peace, gallant officer.”

“Oh! This is so sad. Enter rest, grant unto him, oh God, and let perpetual light shine on him. May he rest in peace. Amen. My condolences, brother, and please take heart,” Miki Saint grieved.

Ejemito Samuel, the brother of the slain Ejemito Friday, wrote, “So painful that you left so soon, my dearest brother. Rest on till we meet and part no more.”

“This pain is too much to carry; nevertheless, rest well, brother,” Onome Frank added in the comment section, while Vincent Wilson wrote, “Rest on gallant till that beautiful resurrection morning; it’s well.”

Loveline Ezenne described Ejemito as a patriot who died while serving his country, saying, “I never knew you would leave so soon. My heart bleeds upon hearing the news of your demise. May God console your family and grant you peaceful rest, Amen. You died while fighting for your country.”

However, other Facebook users described the NPF as not being fair to the families and Nigerians for not revealing the incident immediately after it occurred.

Samuel Odoba wrote, “The police high command is a disgrace. The killings of these officers happened before the killings of soldiers, but the police authority attempted to conceal the killings. The level of ineptitude of the police high authority is staggering.”

Corroborating, Pico Sam, berated the NPF for not valuing the lives of its officers, saying, “This incident happened almost two months ago, but the police authorities, both Delta State Command and Force Headquarters, refused to give an account of what happened to their men and the way forward.

“Now, they have seen the way the military quickly organized a press conference with pictures of the fallen soldiers and gave an account of what happened to their men in the Okuama community, and the entire country is condemning the actions. This publication is coming too late, and the IGP should be reminded of something here.

“This is not fair to the policemen who died and their bodies decomposed by Fulani bandits in that failed operation in Ugheli, Delta State. I was told that most of the operatives that died in that operation were from IRT Abuja and died just like that without proper information to Nigerians and their families.”

The Osun State Police Command arrested six suspected cultist with 155 rounds of 9mm live ammunition.

The suspects were arrested at Ipetu-Ijesa, motor park, Oriade local government area of Osun state while attempting to board a public transport out of the town.

It was gathered that the suspects got to the park in groups and park operators suspected their move, hence, alerted police authority in the town.

Four cut to size locally made pistol were also found in their possession.

Osun police command spokesperson, Yemisi Opalola while confirming the arrest on Sunday, said the suspect confessed to being members of ‘eiye’ confraternity from Ilorin, Kwara state.

According to her, the suspects disclosed that they were heading to Delta State for cultism operation before they were caught.

Her words, “We recieved information that some hoodlums suspected to be the men of under world were sighted in Ipetu-Ijesa motor park. A police team moved to the motor park and apprehended the six suspects.

“Meanwhile four cut to size locally made pistols with 155 rounds of live 9mm ammunition were recovered from the suspect.

“The suspects confessed to be members of eiye confraternity from Ilorin town, Kwara state and heading to Delta state for cultism operation.”

…How we saved billions of naira

…Discloses why he left priesthood for politics

Rev Father Hyacinth Iormem Alia, born May 15, 1966, has been the governor of Benue State since 29 May 2023.

He is the second cleric to govern the state after the late Very Rev. Fr. Moses Orshio Adasu, who governed the state in the botched Third Republic.

The governor, who hails from Mbangur, Mbadede, Vandeikya Local Government Area of Benue State, got his First School Leaving Certificate from St. Francis Primary School, Agidi, Mbatiav in Gboko local government area of the state. In 1983, he enrolled at St. James Minor Seminary, Makurdi, after which he gained admission to study at St. Augustine’s Major Seminary, Jos.

He studied for a diploma in religious studies in 1987 and a Bachelor of Arts in Sacred Theology in 1990.

In 1999, he obtained a Master’s in Religious Education (Psychology and Counselling) at Fordham University, Bronx, New York City.

In 2004, he got an additional master’s degree in biomedical ethics from Duquesne University, Pennsylvania. He received a doctorate in the same course at Duquesne in 2005,

In this interview, the cleric turned politician explains why he ventured into partisan politics and his vision for the state. He also dismissed insinuations that he is at loggerheads with the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, Senator George Akume, just as he vowed not to allow the resources of the state to be shared among some few disgruntled politicians.

Excerpts:

By Dapo Akinrefon

What informed your decision to drop priesthood and join politics?

My advent into partisan politics was because too many things were wrong. I’ve lived my life as a functional priest in the last 33 years with my locals. I stayed with them, went to school, and returned to spend time with them some more. I have been in the trenches with them, and the people I loved working with, more, were the destitute, the poor masses, those who do not have a voice in the society, and those who are neglected and suppressed. When you are preaching the gospel, these are the primary things you must do. God does not want them to be lost to society. These are the people I felt should be taken care of. For years, local government teachers were totally forgotten, and I felt their pains. I had that at the back of my mind.

Again, since the creation of the state, it has been a glorified village. We didn’t even have light on the streets in the state capital. It is now that we are trying to construct internal roads because our internal roads were minimally tarred. You come into the state capital, Makurdi, and it is like you come into a village. I felt a number of things were missing, and so, there was a need for me to come and get things right.

The church is not against her priests joining partisan politics. Where it is a case of plurality of parties, the church will hold her reservations but at the same time, there is a leeway that if the church judges that the society is too dysfunctional and that the only person to salvage the situation is a priest, then, someone can spring up via the church to save the rest of the people.

Not many people understand this, and this is why I had to come in and save the souls. We had to take care of the human beings that are out there. In a number of places in the state, some primary schools are no longer functional. We need to fight for the future of Benue, which is like fighting for democracy.

We have to fight for democracy and these are the things that we have been trying to do, people need to understand that government is an opportunity to protect peoples’ lives and ensure that the people go back to their agrarian society.

Today, we are talking about food insecurity. If we do not have social and civil security, we would not have food security. These are concerning. When we fight for democracy, then, we are fighting for food security because farmers are on the farms.

You know, Benue was number one in a number of things not just in the production of yams but in the production of soya beans. So, we need to get back to this. I came to save the soul of the poor masses of the state. I came in to assure them that God loves them and that God loves them through democracy so that they can understand they and their children hold the future.

So, I came in for the state to have the fullness of democracy and the fullness of life.

In your inaugural speech, you vowed to transform the state. What difference have you made?

Very true. I declared a state of emergency on our infrastructure. Our primary schools are down, and as I speak, we have done so much at getting rid of ghost schools. Benue had more ghost schools than the existing functional schools.

Also, Benue had more ghost workers. For instance, we had a ghost school that had 95 teachers, and the least teacher on the staff was Grade Level 10, which has been there for a very long time. Just imagine how much the state lost educationally. What we did in the first month was to save N1 billion, and in the second month of our coming on board, we saved close to N3 billion from ghost workers.

We then shifted to the civil service where we saw some other things. The state nearly had more casual staff than more permanent staff. We had to weed out some of them, and it is just now that we are coming to terms with reality. That is what we are doing.

That was how we fine-tuned the system to work.

Having understudied all these in the last nine to ten months, some huge amount of shift has been made.

In terms of infrastructure, we are an agrarian state, and over 80 per cent of the people here are farmers, but unfortunately, they were never incentivized to be the best they would be on the farms.

So, we set out to do the roads that could lead from their farms to the market squares and back here to the centre.

We did 16 roads in Makurdi, and we are going to announce some 31 roads within the Makurdi township streets. At the same time, other contractors are working on rural roads across the state where we have most of our food production because that is where we want the impact to be first felt.

There are talks that you give contractors 70 per cent up front, but what is the guarantee that they will complete the job having gotten that much?

We write down that 70 per cent be given to them, but it is by installments because of the inflation we have and because of the trust that is built in there.

For the records, we do not give 70 per cent. The contractors have built themselves up and also because we have received other testimonials from other states. We also hold them at the jugular; it is not as if we just give them the contracts. It is not true that we give them 70 per cent, but because the State Executive Council said 70 per cent should be given to them, it is segmented. That is why most contractors are scrambling for Benue State.

Despite submitting reports for State Police, what steps are you taking to address the security situation in your state, especially in the rural areas?

Before we were ushered in on May 29, 2023, the security reports were horrible, and it is also on record that you heard that hundreds of lives were lost in one local government. Before you took that to heart, you heard of another one. We had tones of these deaths on our hands, but since we came in, it is on record that there has been relative peace. How do we know the indices? By the same security apparatus that we have and by the reports we get from our vigilantes, forest guards, and other security apparatus who are working in sync with most of our people. By the situation report we receive every day, we are able to measure that. Overall, we have relative peace, but at the same time, relative peace does not mean we have absolute peace.

We have skirmishes of late, and we had a large number of influx of armed herders that flocked into some local government areas of the state. These local governments are prone to insecurity because they share borders with other states.

The slogan out there is that Father must continue, but there seems to be some dissenting voices. Why do you think some members of your party are against your administration?

Well, in every administration, you expect those who oppose you. I came in with a plan to rebuild our state. Some people do best when there is a crisis, and there are some political leaders who dug a hole and keep everyone in the state down there, and they don’t want anyone to see the light of day. There was no infrastructure, and no one knew where the monies given to the state were going to. They did not better anyone’s lives; they took care of their individual families. We have a conscience and we want a report card we must present to the people. So, if a select few say they are in charge of the state and that before development comes, they must know when FAAC allocations come, it must be given to them first. Who does that?

The people brought me to the seat, and they ensured that I presented to them the merits of democracy. They voted me on trust. Let all political gladiators come up with ideologies and not dysfunctionality that will consume everyone. We were created since 1976. Where are we? Other states have gone ahead of us.

I have my character and reputation, I came into this game with a defined intention to work with the people and work for the people and accommodate everyone. That is what we will continue to do because at the end of it all, I am going to be responsible for everything. Some people want the funds to be given to them. I feel it is time everyone gets on board with me. I am for the people, with the people, and working for them. The people of Benue gave me their trust. I am not denying the understanding of doing what we should do by taking care of our statesmen. We have been doing that. I am a moderate person, I don’t need to go on television and say we are giving money to some people, that will be childish. I have hanging on my head, and Benue indigenes a huge debt that my predecessor left behind.

In as much as I agree that there should be opposition, what troubles me are some three individuals who want to be called the APC in Benue State and who want all the funds in the state to be handed over to them. How can we function? We consider the masses, and so far, the APC is doing well in the state, and we will continue on that path. So, anything short of that will be detrimental to the state, and I am not prepared to settle for less.

George Akume is at loggerheads with you. What is your relationship with him, and how is it affecting the state? The national leadership of your party also gave an ultimatum that the faction of the APC in your state should withdraw all court cases. How has that gone?

For the record, I never took the APC to court, and so, the letter is not talking about me.

Those who are working for the APC in the state have not taken the party to court. Let that be clear.

I am not distracted in any form or fashion because I came into the bidding of the party and, above all, the people.

We are executing that script, so there are no distractions whatsoever, and that is why I am doing the work I am doing.

In some places, you hear people calling me Mr 25 because their salaries are coming in by then. People need to understand the stability of governance. They worked for it, they earned it, and why should we keep their money?

As regards my relationship with the SGF, Senator George Akume, for the records, I don’t have any differences with him. He was the leader of the APC in the state, and he ensured that everything was done for me to win, and we won.

There is no way I will talk ill of him or complain. He was the one encouraging me to break all the records of my predecessor.

I am also happy when I read where Akume says he has no problem with me. We don’t have issues, but then, it is granted that social media is a new world on its own where some miscreants flourish there.

There is agitation by the NLC over the new minimum wage. Is Benue State prepared to key into the new minimum wage?

We are prepared. As one of the sub-nationals, why can’t we be in sync with what the entire nation is doing? We must, and I am prepared to go for that. Once the minimum wage is agreed upon, we must also follow.

So far, so good, salaries are being paid, we are doing well with the payment of pensions of the people. Their lives are back, and I am willing to do some more for them.

On Benue Links

We met nothing on the ground. When we came, we saw the need to revamp the establishment. We needed to influence the movement of people who need to go to other parts of the country. This was why we did some investment by buying 100 buses at a time, and thank God, it was effective. We subsidized that so that the fuel subsidy removal will not have any effect on the people. I was happy with the result.

I am happy that the buses are running to a good number of states.

Apart from stopping the embezzlement of Benue funds, how have you been able to raise money to embark on the projects? Also, your predecessor was owing workers. Have you been able to clear the backlog?

I have not been able to offset the arrears. It is in hundreds of billions of naira, I can not take care of that now, but what I have done is to take care of their salaries. With the pensioners, their situation was more critical, but we are trying to take care of the pensions and continue to scale down. Governance deals with prioritization.

Some people accuse me that because I come from the church and because the church does not have money, we pinch money from the church and then, in governance, I am also pinching money instead of opening the entire treasury for everyone to take what they can take. I thank the church for giving me such discipline. Without the pinching, you can not rule the state.

Barely a month after the takeover of Kaduna DisCo over a N10 billion debts, the federal government has concluded plans to take over Benin Electricity Distribution Company, BEDC, over alleged prolonged poor performance.

BEDC, one of the successor distribution companies, created, following the unbundling and privatization of the state-owned Power Holding Company of Nigeria Plc, currently distributes electricity in Delta, Edo, Ekiti, and Ondo states, with a geographical coverage of 57,353 square kilometres.

Checks by Vanguard, weekend, indicated that the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, NERC, an independent regulatory body with authority to regulate the electric power sector in Nigeria, has already penciled down new directors and management to manage the DisCo in the coming days.

Meanwhile, the governments of Delta, Edo, Ekiti, and Ondo states, which complained about poor service delivery to their people, have petitioned NERC, seeking to play active roles in the management of BEDC.

The states, which have indicated interest in exercising their rights to participate in the company’s decision-making, also called for the unbundling of the DisCo’s operational areas based on state boundaries, stressing that they had not given consent to other stakeholders, including the Bureau of Public Enterprises, BPE, to act on their behalf.

In their letter – Notification of Interest to Exercise Shareholder Rights in Benin Electricity Distribution Company – to NERC and sighted by Vanguard, the state governments, said: “We write to formally inform NERC of the intent of the governments of Delta, Edo, Ekiti and Ondo states (the BEDC State Governments) regarding our collective residual equity in the Benin Electricity Distribution Company, BEDC.

We intend to exercise shareholder rights – Four states

“After a thorough evaluation of the operational deficiencies and services delivery failures to our states, the BEDC state governments intend to exercise our shareholder rights in BEDC, to ensure the efficient provision of electricity services to our citizens.

“The provision of reliable electricity to enhance the welfare and development of our people is a core priority of our governments. As such, we cannot afford to overlook the critical importance of ensuring that electricity distribution services provided by BEDC meet the needs and expectations of our populace, henceforth.

“In exercising our shareholder rights, the BEDC state governments intend to actively be involved in the decision-making processes of BEDC, both at the board and management levels of the company, to strengthen service operations to enhance service delivery, improve operational efficiency, increase electricity access to unserved and underserved communities and ultimately, transform the electricity sector within our states.

“Please, note that our demand is not capricious and merely wishes to correct a historical lapse. We wish to emphasize that at no point did the BEDC state governments give any Power of Attorney (PoA) to either the federal ministry of finance incorporated or the bureau of public enterprises, BPE, with respect to our shareholding in PHCN successor, Benin Electricity Distribution Company, or the post-privatized entity.

“It has come to our notice that the commission intends to exercise a regulatory takeover of BEDC by March 31, 2024. The commission is kindly requested to formally notify the BEDC state governments before taking any regulatory action to appoint new directors and a management team for the company. We also urge the commission to immediately commence the process of unbundling BEDC into operational areas along state boundaries.

“We wish to assure the commission of our support and cooperation in exercising any regulatory action against BEDC and its core investor, provided our rights as shareholders in the company are not breached.

“Lastly, we kindly request a meeting with the commission to discuss our intention as outlined in the letter, viz, to exercise our rights in the company to work out how these rights will be exercised under the commission’s regulatory oversight and for the benefit of all stakeholders involved.”

States have rights to determine future of Discos —Ekiti govt

In a telephone interview with Vanguard, the Commissioner for Infrastructure & Public Utilities, Ekiti State, Prof. Mobolaji Ebenezer Aluko, said: “The state and federal governments have 40% of BEDC, and our four states as a whole have 34.2% of that 40%.

”Nationally, all states have 27% of the 40% of government, with the federal having 13%, and then the states have as much right, even more rights, than the federal government, to sit at a table to determine the future of the DisCos.

“The Federal Government has asked the DisCos to unbundle along state lines, according to the Electricity Act 2023. The BEDC states are merely demanding a seat at the upcoming discussions, in the spirit of subnational democracy.

”We also believe that our participation will lead to more efficient distribution of the abysmally small energy currently available nationally: that is 13 gigawatts, GW, capacity generation – 8GW Transmission capacity – 3-5GW distribution after Aggregated Technical Commercial and Collection Loss, ATC&C losses.

“The energy mix for power generation should vary from one state to another. Renewable energy should also be utilised and distributed off-grid. The cost of transmission will reduce because of short distances from generation within each state. DisCos should have no monopolies and should provide adequate meters to consumers.”

Veteran Nollywood actor, Amaechi Muonagor, has died after a prolonged illness, at the age of 62.

This was disclosed by a social commentator, Morris Monye, via his X handle, on Sunday.

Muonagor was said to have suffered kidney failure and was on dialysis.

The sudden news of his demise comes just few days after a viral video where he solicited funds to help him have a Kidney transplant.

Monye wrote, “Deeply heartbroken by the news of Amaechi Muonagor’s passing.

“He was a talented Nollywood actor whose presence on our screens was truly masterful.

“We watched with concern as he battled health issues, offering whatever support we could to help him seek treatment in India. This tragic loss highlights the need for better healthcare in our country.”

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Muonagor, a native of Idemili, in Anambra, was born Aug. 20, 1962.

He was an actor and producer. In 2016, he was nominated for AMVCA 2017 Best Actor in a comedy.

In 1989, after his youth service, Muonagor started working for the News Agency of Nigeria. He left his job a few years later for an acting role in his first movie as Akunatakasi in Taboo 1, a Nigerian movie.

His death comes weeks after that of his famous colleague John Okafor, known as Mr Ibu

The Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities and Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational Associated Institutions will resume today (Monday) after the seven-day warning strike they embarked upon last week.

Their sister union, the National Association of Academic Technologists of the University, also embarked on a three-day strike last week.

The three unions are protesting the withheld salaries following a prolonged strike they embarked upon in 2022.

The administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari invoked withheld their salaries by invoking the policy of ‘No Work, No Pay’.

However, President Bola Tinubu recently ordered the payment of the withheld salaries of members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, who had also embarked on a strike in 2022.

As a result, NASU, SSANU and NAAT called on the government to pay them too, threatening to embark on a strike.

Amid the strike last week, the striking unions met with the Federal Government but the meeting ended in a deadlock.

Giving an update on the issue during a Zoom meetng on Sunday, the National President, Joint Action Committee of SSANU, NASU, Mr Mohammed Ibrahim, said: “The strike ends tonight, (Sunday), everyone is resuming to work on Monday, and the government has till now not acceded to our demands. No payment has been made. The government is not responding to us.”

He added that the National Executive Council of the unions would meet and discuss during the week to know the next line of action.”

Ibrahim emphasised that aside agitation for the payment of their withheld salaries, there was the need for the Federal Government to consider the renegotiation of 2009 FGN/NASU and SSANU agreements and payment of N50bn earned allowances.

Also speaking, National President, NAATS, Mr Ibeji Nwokoma, revealed that the union went on strike between March and August 2022, stating that the Federal Government, through the Minister of Education, announced publicly at a stakeholders’ meeting that all staff of the university should be paid, saying they were surprised that the non-teaching staff were exempted.

“We all went on a legitimate strike action; I want to believe something went wrong or somebody is trying to cheat us,” he said.

Also speaking, the Vice-President of SSANU, Dr Salaam Abdussobur, said, “We are not a strike-happy union. The reality is the fact that generally, the FG is treating the university staff with contempt. The government is not holistic in the way it treats the university workers, and the SSANU/NASU is treated lower in the cadre. For instance, Federal Government universities do not have Governing Councils, the government is turning the Vice-Chancellors into dictators.”

… how the soldiers were killed

FOR 10 days, the nation is understandably simmering over the butchery of 17 officers and personnel of the Nigerian Army, who journeyed on a peace mission to Okuama, an Urhobo community in Ughelli South Local Government Area, Delta State, on March 14.

The subsequent discovery that the heartless killers beheaded some of the soldiers and mutilated the remains of others infuriated Nigerians the more.

Even more worrisome is the truth that the killers also collected the arms and ammunition of the Nigerian Army found in the possession of the assassinated soldiers, a development that no security agency would joke with until the weapons are found and retrieved.

Too many mysteries

But how did a communal misunderstanding between Okuama and Okoloba, an Ijaw community in Bomadi Local Government Area, Delta State, degenerate into the slaughter of soldiers, especially after the people of Okuama had received the soldiers in their territory, and served them kola nut?

What crime did the soldiers commit to warrant such jungle justice?

Having signed a peace accord brokered by the Delta state government, more than a month earlier, seemingly to forestall further killings, kidnap, and counter-kidnap by both communities, why did some Okuama youth waylay, and take hostage Mr. Anthony Aboh, an indigene of Okoloba, whose rescue attempt by soldiers resulted in the March 14 debacle?

However, if truth be told, were soldiers, job-wise, supposed to have embarked on peace talks with the people of Okuama, who are having a land dispute with Okoloba?

What were the compelling reasons for the military authorities authorizing such peace talks, headed by the Commanding Officer of the 181 Amphibious Battalion, Lt. Colonel A.H Ali, in a communal dispute between the two communities? Besides the lieutenant colonel were two majors, one captain, and others.

Who authorized the mission by the military officers? They could not have undertaken such a mission without authorization and planning.

Was the Commissioner of Police, Delta State, informed of the peace talks and what is the involvement of the police, whose duty it is in the first instance, to execute such a mission?

Why was it not the Police that went for the peace talks?

Did the Army notify the Governor of Delta State, the Chief Security Officer of the state, Rt. Hon Sheriff Oborevwori, of the March 14 peace talks?

Why did the peace team consist only of military men? Where were the officials of the Department of State Services, DSS, traditional rulers of the area, and other stakeholders?

What of the state Committee on Peace and Conflict Resolution that earlier brokered the peace accord between the two feuding communities; the Chairman of Ughelli South Local Government Area, and the Divisional Police Officer, DPO, in charge of the area?

Why should the Army not track down those who killed their men rather than attack innocent women, and children of Okuama, who could not have been the ones that murdered the soldiers?

Why should soldiers embark on razing the community, a day after the 17 soldiers were killed, and continue knocking down the community days after, but in the same breath, remain indifferent to allegations of carrying out reprisal action against the fleeing Okuama natives?

The puzzles in this sad episode that has enveloped Delta State are many. But the truth is that there is more than meets the eye in the entire affair.

What is, however, palpable is that the two communities were at daggers drawn over land despite the peace accord put in place by the state government, leaders and youth of the communities fanned embers of discord by their actions.

Accusations, counter-accusations

Both communities had before now accused each other of engaging the services of Very Important Personalities, VIPs, and private armies to undermine the peace process.

For example, while Okoloba accused Okuama of hiring a militant leader and other mercenaries to kidnap and kill their indigenes, including the 17 military men on March 14, Okuama also pointed fingers at Okoloba, alleging that a VIP influenced the disquieting presence of soldiers in its land for the bungled consultation.

Curiously, a militant from one of the warring communities suspected to have participated in the killing of the soldiers, in a trending video, maintained that the use of soldiers to persecute the people of Okuama triggered the bloodbath.

Military didn’t come for peacekeeping – Militant leader

Daring the government to declare him wanted if it so wished, during the week, an unnamed militant, who communicated in Pidgin English, said the soldiers allowed some influential people to use them to repress the people of Okuama.

He claimed that the Okuama and Okoloba communities were indeed having a land dispute and connected Ijaw people who used the army to escort and carry out their crude oil business, betrayed their brothers.

He disclosed they used soldiers to ‘carry’ three people and slaughtered them, adding, “The day the soldiers were killed, they came to carry our community leaders, and the youth knew that once the community leaders were captured, they would be powerless.”

From his explanation, they killed the soldiers to stop them from taking away the community leaders and making the youths of Okuama ineffective.

“That is why the action took place but people say the soldiers came for peacekeeping. Point of correction – no army came for peacekeeping. They are fighting in support of somebody who ordered them to do so.

“This is my last video; my father is a retired army captain; he died last year, and I have lost over six of my friends and relatives in Nigeria.

“If you like, take the matter to the next level. If you like, make the Federal Government declare me wanted, I am proud of it. You people are saying show my face, if I show my face, what will you do to me,” he said.

Ogbodo traces crisis to oil bunkering

Meanwhile, a former Editor of the Guardian Newspaper, Mr. Abraham Ogbodo, who is of Urhobo nationality, corroborated the claim in an interview with a television station, saying the ambush and murder of the troops was not connected to the communal crisis between Okuama and Okoloba, but instead linked to illegal oil bunkering in the Niger Delta.

”It is not true that a misunderstanding between an Urhobo community and an Ijaw community could bring that level of crisis, that level of tragedy that we witnessed is not true.

“It’s not about communal crisis. What level of communal crisis? The combined population of those communities will be less than 2,000 human beings. Where will they get the capacity to wreak that level of havoc?

He queried: “What was compelling about a peace mission in that place that will require the strategic team to go for a tactical mission? So, it shows that there are so many things underlying that we are not talking about.
”If it was actually for a peace mission, would it not have been for those community leaders to be summoned to the base in Bomadi for discussions to be held?

“This was not done. Instead, the entire leadership of the battalion went to Bomadi and was exposed. And if a mission like that was being carried by the strategic team, why was there, not enough tactical cover that they were just gotten and taken out like that so cheaply?

“The Nigerian military? That is uncalled for. So, you will see that there are so many wrong things.

Ogbodo urged the military to grant access to the community for thorough investigations into the attack, adding, “I think that what the president has said about the investigation should be allowed to go full course. An investigation means that independent investigators have to get to the site, get to the scene, and let the investigation be done.”

Fabricated storylines – Major General Abudussalam, GOC

The General Officer Commanding, 6 Division, Nigerian Army/Land Component Commander, Joint Task Force, South-South, Operation DELTA STATE, Major General Jamal Abdussalam, on Thursday, nevertheless, vowed that no amount of false narratives, arm-twisting, and blackmail would deter the Army from recovering its arms carted away by the criminals, who killed men and officers, and arrest all those involved in the act.

The Acting Deputy Director, 6 Division Army Public Relations, Lieutenant Colonel Jonah Danjuma, in a statement, said the GOC stated this when the Managing Director (MD)/Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Chief (Dr.) Samuel Ogbuku paid him a condolence visit at the Division’s Headquarters in Port Harcourt Barracks. Rivers State.

He stated that no amount of propaganda, arm-twisting, blackmailing, intimidation, and false narratives would distract troops from staying on course to achieve their objectives.

Abdussalam asserted, “Troops will not rest until all those involved are tracked down to account for their deeds. The operation is being conducted in such a way that going forward, nobody would contemplate attacking men in uniform. False narratives being churned out, and propaganda peddled over this mindless criminality would not deter troops from fishing out the criminals.”

What transpired in Okuama

Beyond the blame game, what went awry as the people of Okuama at the outset received the Lieutenant Colonel and his team to the community.

Before the March 14 slaughter, the day earlier, Wednesday, March 13, a young man from Okoloba, Mr. Anthony Aboh, was taken hostage by armed youths in Okuama community. His brother, a former supervisory councilor, Bomadi local government council, immediately reported the matter to the 181 Amphibious Battalion of the military Joint Task Force, Bomadi.

Upon the report, the commander mobilized his men on a rescue mission to Okuama. The former councilor was also asked to join them on the mission.

Saturday Vanguard learned that when the military team arrived at Okuama, they asked for the community chairman who the community earlier said had gone to the farm. But after much insistence to see him, he surfaced and took the military men to the community hall.

Discussions to free the hostage were deadlocked, and the commander insisted the community chairman must go with them to Bomadi since they refused to produce the hostage, who they later found dead.

According to a survivor, who was one of the drivers of the speedboats hired by the military at the Gbaregolor community waterside, the community chairman refused to go with the soldiers. They forced him towards the waterfront to board their boat when rains of bullets started coming from all directions.

Before that incident, the driver said: “While waiting at the waterfront, an old woman in pure water attire came out of the community and stared at us, making some incantations, and went back to the community. Within a few minutes, an old man with similar attire came to the same spot, gazed at us, and performed the same way as the old woman.”

”Not long after this scenario, the commander and his men started coming to the shore with the community chairman. At that moment, I made ready to start my engine just like my colleagues, but the engines refused to start, and efforts made to start the engines were to no avail at this point, I realized that the problem had come when I saw the performance of the old woman and the man.

”As the bullets started coming, the soldiers tried to respond, but none of their guns answered, and immediately I dived into the river. But suddenly, one of the engines started, some soldiers jumped into it, and the driver sped out of the community and carried me from the river.

”I do not know what he did to start his engine. Two of the soldiers in the boat sustained severe bullet wounds and were taken to the Bomadi General Hospital. The information then was that the JTF commander and one other officer were held hostage”.

”The following day, soldiers were mobilized from Agbarho to Okuama to negotiate and secure the release of the commander and others reported to have been held hostage.”

According to an inside source, who partook in the reinforcement that led to the burning of houses at Okuama, and who was discussing the operation with his colleagues, the soldiers who were mobilized from Agbarho were deceived and killed.

”The remobilized soldiers from Agbarho led by the Lieutenant Colonial, upon reaching Okuama, told the community folk that they were coming for peace talk. They said the soldiers should drop their weapons if they came for peace talks.

”The commanding officer asked his men to drop their weapons, and as they did so, the community youths took the weapons away from all of them. Then, suddenly the youths descended on them by butchering them from all angles.”

Narrating how he was privy to this gruesome murder, the soldier said: “As we were burning houses in the community, somebody ran out of one of the houses on fire, and I threatened to shoot if he ran. He hesitated a while and surrendered. So, we interrogated him as to why he remained in the village while all the others had fled.”

”His reply was odd and awkward. He answered by saying, it could be the blood on his head. Then, when he was asked how many he had killed? He said 46 and at this moment, a colleague cocked his gun and wanted to shoot him in anger, but others calmed him down, telling him that he was a possible source of hidden information.

”We discovered six shrines in the community in the process of burning the houses, which are stained with blood. We also burned them but one of the shrines refused to burn. It was one Hausa soldier who did what he did to set it ablaze.

”The culprit, after his confessions, also led us to discover hidden corpses under the jetty at the community waterfront. He has already been flown to the Defence Headquarters in Abuja”.

Chronology of the Okuama/Okoloaba crisis

The inter-communal crisis between Okuama and Okoloba communities in Bomadi Local started like child’s play.

The brewing crisis between these neighbouring communities came to public notice when one of the communities, Okoloba, through the community chairman, Mr. Clement Koki, addressed a press conference at Bomadi, headquarters of Bomadi local government area, on December 20, 2023, alleging that neighbouring Okuama community invaded farmlands and fishing grounds belonging to Okoloba, as well as attacked and brutalized indigenes on several occasions without any provocation.

They also alleged that indigenes of Okuama trespassed their community by blasting dynamites indiscriminately and cutting off grasses in the name of catching fish thereby exposing the community shoreline to coastal erosion.

The community equally sent an open letter to the state government, drawing the attention of the governor, Rt Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori, to the brewing tension, urging the government to intervene and call the aggressor to order.

The people of the Okoloba community clashed with some youths on a speedboat, going towards Okuama, who they alleged were mercenaries moving weapons to the Okuama community around 2 am in January 2024, The Okoloba community chairman, Mr. Koki, who narrated the night incident, said: “On 28th January 2024, we had intelligence of an allegedly planned attack on our community with mercenaries coming with weapons from the Warri axis that same night, which prompted us to keep watch.”

”A speedboat came from that same direction, the Okuagbe direction of the river at around 2 am. We tried to stop them by beaming torchlights on the boat and waved to stop them, but they responded by firing at us. We pursued them with our boats and they moved in the opposite direction of our community, abandoned their boat, and fled. Arms and charms were inside the boat which we handed over to the Bomadi Police Division”.

But when contacted over the incident, a leader of Okuama, Prof. Ekpoko, alleged that the boys were not mercenaries as erroneously alleged and reported by the people of Okoloba.

He said: “We are not at any offensive but the people of Okoloba are”, stressing “they were coming back to their community from Okuagbe”.

In that incident, it was reported that about six of the said mercenaries met their Waterloo during a gun battle between the two groups, among whom was an Ijaw youth. In the following weeks, the youths who escaped with gunshots were posted on social media.

The Delta State Government, through the office of the Special Adviser to the Governor on Peace and Conflict Resolution, on February 6, 2024, called both parties to Government House, Asaba, where they discussed issues and at the end of the discussions, came up with a Peace Pact that was signed by the leadership of both parties.

On February 20, 2024, the people of the Okoloba community, again, raised the alarm in another press briefing at Bomadi, with an open letter to the governor, updating the public on current developments.

Mr. Koki, in this briefing, said the people of Okuama were conducting a stop-and-search operation on market boats, searching for indigenes of the Okoloba community in the boats with a vow to kill any if found. He also alleged that the harassment of fishermen and farmers of the Okoloba community was on the increase.

”They threatened the boat drivers with guns not to pass without stopping by their waterfront, where they searched for Okoloba Indigenes returning from the market.

, “On the following day, February 21, 2024, our women who were fishing at the Mein-toruabubor River were threatened with guns and chased back home. The Mein-toruabubor River belongs to the Okoloba community”, he said.
Other allegations in the open letter to the governor included efforts to scare away teachers posted to Okoloba, and forceful takeover of fishponds belonging to Okoloba Indigenes and others despite the Peace Pact signed by both parties in Asaba.

But in their reaction to the purported development, an indigene of Okuama spoke on the condition of anonymity, said that the allegations were fabricated and unfounded.

Ambush and killing

On the 5th of March, 2024, Mr. Pigha Zipamone of the Okoloba community disappeared from his mother’s farm and the community raised the alarm.

The community chairman, Mr. Koki, who once again addressed the press at Bomadi, when handing over the corpse of the slain youth to security men, said: “On 5th March 2024, Mr. Pigha Zipamone went to work in his mother’s farm and was kidnapped by Okuama bloodletting savages and mercenaries who have been laying ambush to attack us.

”He was taken to Okuama, beaten mercilessly with hands tied behind his back daily in the village square, and eventually killed on 8th March 2024. His lifeless body was thrown into River Forcados in the early hours of 9th March 2024″.

Traditional rulers in Delta State have vowed to aid security agencies in apprehending the perpetrators responsible for the killing of military officers in Okuama community.

The monarchs described the killings as unprovoked and barbaric, which led to the deaths of the officers on rescue missions.

Rising from a meeting of the Delta State Council of Traditional Rulers in Asaba, the monarchs, in a five-point communiqué issued at the end of the meeting, condemned the killings.

Council Chairman and Orodje of Okpe, Major-General Felix Mujakpuero (retd), Orhue I, while commiserating with the immediate families of the slain officers, the Nigerian Army and the Federal Republic of Nigeria, prayed that God grant their souls eternal rest.

The Delta monarchs called on the Delta State government to set up an independent investigative panel of inquiry to ascertain the immediate and remote cause of the communal crisis between Okuama and Okoloba communities.

The royal fathers also appealed to the Nigerian Army to carry out their search for the perpetrators of the killing of the gallant officers in line with global best practices.

They called on members of the public to stop peddling falsehoods and unsubstantiated claims, as such action could further exacerbate the already fragile peace in the state.

The meeting was attended by the immediate past chairman of the council and Obi of Owa, Dr Emmanuel Efeizomor II; the first vice chairman and Pere of Akugbene Mien, SP Luke Kalanama VIII; and the second vice chairman and Obi of Ubulu-Unor, Agbogodi Henry Kikachukwu I, among others.

Young Nigerians have been warned by the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) to be cautious of fraudulent oil and gas job offers in West African countries.

The agency disclosed that it uncovered a new ploy by some human traffickers exploiting coordinated global brand trademarks and offering unrealistic oil and gas job offers to traffic unsuspecting youths and other classes of people to neighbouring West African countries for various forms of exploitation.

A statement on Sunday by NAPTIP Communication Officer, Adekoye Vincent, said that the Director-General of NAPTIP, Prof Fatima Waziri–Azi, revealed the alarming trend at the agency’s headquarters in Abuja while discussing emerging trends in human trafficking for 2024.

Titled ‘Beware of Fake Oil and Gas Jobs in West African Countries... NAPTIPS Alerts Nigerians On New Tricks By Human Traffickers,’ the anti-human trafficking agency said it had redoubled its efforts recently through enhanced partnership, "collaboration, diligent prosecution, and extensive awareness campaigns aimed at bolstering its operations, resulting in a significant increase in convictions of human traffickers."

The statement quoted the NAPTIP DG as emphasising the need for comprehensive enlightenment strategies to equip Nigerians with timely and accurate information to reduce their vulnerability.

Waziri-Azi said, "As part of our comprehensive enlightenment strategies to equip Nigerians with timely and accurate information to reduce their vulnerability, we have received reports indicating that traffickers have adopted new tactics to lure unsuspecting victims, predominantly to Ghana, Cote d’Ivoire, Liberia, and other West African nations.

"Under the guise of lucrative employment opportunities in gold mining and oil companies, victims are enticed with promises of monthly incomes as high as Nine Hundred Dollars ($900.00), which, as always, are blatant lies."

"Victims are often instructed to bring up to Eight Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira (N850,000) for documentation and other logistical expenses. Upon arrival at their destination, traffickers confiscate this money, along with the victims' phones and other personal belongings," the statement quoted her to have said.

"The targeted demographic includes male and female victims aged between 15 and 35 years old. They are typically trafficked through the waterways of Ode Jetty in Lagos en route to Benin Republic and other parts of the West African region. Some victims are also trafficked via land routes."

Waziri–Azi, however, reiterated her earlier appeal to Nigerians to exercise caution, ask questions, and seek a second opinion before accepting any tempting offers.

"Do not allow desperation to cloud your judgment," the statement said.

"NAPTIP remains committed to combating human trafficking and protecting the rights and dignity of all Nigerians. For further information or to report suspected cases of human trafficking, please contact: 07030000203 or 627 (Only on the MTN Network)."

Wunmi Aloba, the wife of the late singer Mohbad, was filled with emotion as she looked forward to her son Liam's upcoming first birthday in a few weeks.

Recall that the late Afrobeats singer passed away on September 12, at the age of 27.

His widowed wife, Wunmi took to social media to speak on how his absence has affected her.

Wunmi emphasised that no woman should go through the emotional turmoil that she had gone through.

She wrote: “No female deserves to go through this, haa, I don’t wish this pain on my enemy.

"Liam will clock in in a few weeks without dada, I miss my baby so much.”