Killing of soldiers at Okuama: Mutu decries linkage with Ijaw

Member of the House of Representatives, representing Bomadi/Patani Federal Constituency of Delta State, has condemned Thursday's killing of 16 soldiers by some irate youths of Okuama community, an Urhobo enclave in Ughelli South Local Government Area of the state.

Mutu, who is the Chairman of the Gas Committee in the House, described the action as "barbaric and inhuman."

Mutu, who is also the Chairman of the Southern Nigeria Carcus in the House of Representatives, made his position on the tragic incident known in a statement issued by his Media Office on Sunday.

The federal lawmaker in the emotion- laden statement, said the killings of the 16 solders, including a Lt. Col, 2 Majors and one Captain of the Nigerian Army, on a peace keeping assignment in the Urhobo community was "senseless and embarrassing."

Mutu challenged all relevant security agencies to work round the clocks to fish out the killers and bring them to justice.

He warned that the criminals should not escape justice in order to serve as deterrent to those who may be planning to indulge in such heinous crime in the future.  

He condoled the families of the fallen soldiers, the Nigerian Army as well as the Armed Forces on the tragic development. He prayed God to grant the repose of the souls of the gallant soldiers, who were gruesomely murdered while performing patriotic national assignments.

The lawmaker, however, frowned at distortion of facts of the incident in a section of the press, which linked the fate of the soldiers to Ijaw militias in Okoloba, an Ijaw community in Bomadi Local Government Area of Delta state.

"This is far from truth of the incident. The Ijaw is not in anyway linked or connected to this unjustifiable barbaric and inhuman and condemnable act."

"The facts of the matter are with all appropriate security agencies and they are in fact in public domain. The indigenes of Okuama are responsible for these senseless killings. Two contigents of troops of Nigerian Army who were deployed separately on peace keeping mission in Okuama, particularly to investigate the killing of an Okoloba boy, were ambushed and wilfully murdered in cold-blood in Okuama."

"Their headless and dismembered remains were recovered in the waters of Okuama Community, which is the scene of the crime."

"It's therefore callous and indiscretionary to link the Ijaw to this heinous crime, which is a national embarrassment. It's wrong for a section of the press to link the innocent Ijaw people to this crime and I seize this medium to debunk such irresponsible reports on the incident.

"I condemn the reports linking the Ijaw with this crime and call on the authors of such falsehood to retract them and apologise to the Ijaw nation, forthwith."

"I also wish to implore all relevant security agencies to ensure that no stone is left unturned to arrest these criminals and prosecute them to attone for the sins they have committed against humanity."

"I console with the families of these fallen soldiers, Nigerian Army and the Armed Forces in general, over this tragic incident. May the Almighty God grant the repose of their souls, amen."

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