Okuama Crisis: Oborevwori meets Tinubu, assures of no further attacks on civilians

By Akpos Oghenetega,

Governor of Delta State, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori has assured the civilian population in Okuoma community in Ughelli South Local Government Area of the state of no further military attacks following the killing of 17 military personnel. 

Governor Oborevwori stated this after a brief President Bola Tinubu over killing of 17 military personnel comprising a lieutenant ​colonel, two majors, one captain, and 13 soldiers who were said to be on a “peacekeeping mission” in Okuoma community.

While the Delta state and federal governments have condemned the incident, promising that perpetrators would be apprehended and made to face the wrath of the law, the visit of the State Governor to the presidency was to brief  Mr President of the development.

Briefing State House correspondents after meeting behind closed-doors with President Bola Tinubu, Governor Oborevwori said that the situation is under control, assuring that there will be no more further attacks.

He said: “The two communities in question have been having issues for years and last month on the 7th of February they were invited by the state government, where the members representing the two local governments, the council chairmen and leaders of the communities, agreed to work together and they signed a peace accord.

“We condemned the killing of the officers and the soldiers because they were there on peace mission. What is happening now is something that we did not bargained for.

“I want to assure everybody that there will be no more attack on the villages if there is anyone that has happened in the past, there will be no more attack but we know that those who are culpable will be brought to book; the innocent citizens will not be attacked.”

“Yesterday I was in Bomadi for security meeting to get full briefing. So some of those issues are security issues that you can’t say publicly, so we are managing the situation.

“The issues of whether a place has been burnt down or people have been killed, it has happened and what we want is the way forward.

“The way forward is two ways. The people that have been killed, the officers and soldiers, we must see how we can find succur for their families and how they can be given a befitting burial, and then the community, anything that has happened in the community in the past will not happen again.”