Barely two weeks after the arrest of Okuama community leaders, armed soldiers reportedly invaded the town in Ughelli South Local Government Area of Delta State early Monday morning, allegedly shooting indiscriminately.
According to Advocate.ng, the military personnel entered the community by land through Okoloba after reportedly using drones to monitor the area on Sunday. Speaking from his hideout in the bush, an Okuama resident claimed that several people were injured in the attack.
A video showing the drones monitoring the community, sent to Vanguard, captured a distraught youth lamenting the situation and pleading with the government for intervention.
One source from the community stated, "As I speak, soldiers and some youths have stormed our community, shooting at anything in sight. They parked their boats at Okoloba and came on foot. The small tents we built are being razed."
"Everyone is in disarray; I can’t find my child. Why are we being treated like this? Why would soldiers team up with our enemies to attack us? Our leaders were arrested weeks ago, and now they have come to sack the community," the source added.
The reason for this latest invasion remains unclear.
It should be recalled that Delta State Governor, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori, had asked the people of Okuama to return to their homes, assuring them that the government would rebuild some of the infrastructure destroyed in a previous military operation. That operation was reportedly in retaliation for the killing of 17 soldiers near the Okuama community.
However, the government, aside from urging the community to return home, did not establish sufficient measures to protect them from further attacks by hostile neighbors and the Nigerian Army.
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