As the mystery behind the killing of 17 soldiers in the Okuama community in Delta State continues to unravel, with the people of the Niger Delta community crying out, accusing the military of high-handedness, ARISE NEWS Channel spoke with the Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, who said the military has a mandate from the President and Commander-in-Chief of Armed Forces, Bola Ahmed Tinubu to arrest the killers. Emma Okonji who monitored the interview, presents the excerpts:
First, accept our condolences over the death of military men in the Okuama community in Delta State. But the people of the Urhobo community are accusing the military of high-handedness, making it impossible for people to return to their community, and not allowing the community to bury their dead. What do you make of this?
First and foremost, I need to appreciate Nigerians and Nigeria for standing by the military. The military appreciates Nigerians for commiserating with the armed forces for the loss of our gallant soldiers. I received condolence messages from within and outside of the country over the death of our soldiers and we appreciate them for their concern. People understand that the military was established as an arm of government to protect Nigeria and to protect Nigerians. We felt very bad when criminals took laws into their hands to attack the military. The Okuama attack on the military was premeditated. A group of criminals, cultists, and militants, decided to take laws into their hands because they make so much money from crude oil theft. They killed the commanding officer and his team while on a peacekeeping mission to the community and that is unacceptable. We are happy that the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces has given us his mandate to arrest the killers and recover the ammunition.
I want to assure Nigerians that the military in the Okuama community will not do anything to impede the rights of the people of the community.
The public is saying that the military, in the process of investigating the matter, is overreaching itself, since the Nigerian Constitution and the Armed Forces Act do not give the military the power to arrest and prosecute civilians, which is the function of the police. What is your response to this public criticism?
The military has the mandate to effect an arrest in the Okuama community and the military is working as a team in conjunction with the task force set aside for that purpose. The military men in the Okuama community were legally deployed with a mandate from the Commander-in-Chief of Armed Forces, Bola Ahmed Tinubu to arrest the killers. What we have on the ground in the Okuama community is a joint task force, comprising the Army, Navy, Air Force, police, DSS, and other security agents. So it is a joint investigation team and the Army is not doing it alone. We have heard comments from different people saying the Army has taken over the community, but what they do not understand is that it is a joint task force carrying out the investigation. Once we have been deployed to operate, we have all the rights to effect the arrest of all kinds of criminalities within the area. So the task force, which the Army is also part of, was deployed legally to effect arrest and not to intimidate innocent people.
Because the commanding officer felt the threat was not high, and felt he could discuss peacefully with the people, that was why he went there with his team unarmed. If they were armed, they would have overrun the criminals and erased all of them. They were rounded up and shot. Not only did they shoot them, they also dismembered their bodies, and their private parts were cut off, including their hearts. The act shows that there is a lot of human sacrifice going on in that community. I call on all Nigerians to stand against this brutal act.
So how will you describe the operations of the military and the joint task force in the Okuama community?
The operation of the task force is regulated, otherwise it could have been a situation where we would have erased and brought down the entire community flat. We did not go to that level, because we knew that not all the community members were involved in the killing of the soldiers, but we are also aware that people in the community are aware of the killing and they know the killers, so that makes them complicit in the matter. What we are doing is to thoroughly search the community for illegal weapons and to effect arrest.
What is your take on the traditional ruler and Ovie of the Ewu/Urhobo kingdom in Delta State, King Clement Oghenerukeywe, who was declared wanted by the military and who willingly surrendered himself to the police for investigation?
The traditional ruler who was declared wanted and willingly submitted himself to the police for investigation, should be commended, and we expect others who have been declared wanted to equally surrender on their own accord. We will investigate them and handle the matter fairly. We are not animals and we are not barbaric and we are not irresponsible military that will go about killing people, but the truth is that if they had not tempered with our own gallant soldiers, we would not have come out in the first place. We have lived peacefully with them and we have provided them with social amenities. We are not occupational military, but we are the Nigerian Armed Forces and we have an obligation to protect Nigerians and Nigeria.
People are worried about why the police should hand over the traditional ruler to the military for investigation. Is he safe in the hands of the military?
Yes, he is safe in the hands of the military. There is really nothing to fear about. He willingly surrendered himself to the police and the police handed him to the joint task force that also has the police component. So it’s a joint investigation that is being conducted by the joint task force. I want Nigerians to understand that we are all Nigerians and the military loves Nigerians. We have put down our lives for Nigerians and we will not hurt innocent Nigerians. We are only after the criminals. The President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces gave us a mandate to arrest the perpetrators and we will carry out that order without complaint. The traditional ruler is safe. We will ask him a few questions and we will let him go. I do not want to comment so much on this, but to say that the investigation is ongoing.
Why is the Okuama community in Delta State under lockdown and why were the people not given access to their community?
The Okuama community is under lockdown because the joint task force is on a mission to search the community and effect arrest. When we are done with the search, we will allow the people to gain access to their community and return to their community. There are lots of weapons in the community that were bought with money from crude oil theft. So we are going to search the community to recover the weapons in the community. We will thoroughly clean the community and ensure that no weapon is left in it. Our search and investigation will unravel the criminals. They will definitely return to their community when we are through with the search.
What is the state of the families of the killed soldiers, especially the wives who are pregnant?
The soldiers who were killed had wives who are pregnant and would deliver the babies without the babies knowing their fathers. Some are three months pregnant, others are five months and some are eight months pregnant. Their case is pathetic and I barely sleep. Each time I close my eyes in sleep, I remember them. But I assure you that the military will always stand by them. I therefore call on Nigerians to support the military in arresting those involved in the killing. The President of Nigeria has awarded them posthumous awards and has given incentives to their families in the areas of their welfare and education. This has motivated our troops to continue to protect Nigeria and Nigerians and to do more.
What is the level of investigation on General Endurance Amagbeni whom the military has declared wanted as the mastermind of the killing of the 17 military men in the Okuama community?
General Endurance Amagbeni as they call him, is a fake General and he is the mastermind of the killing of the soldiers. He is the one who planned and executed the killing with his boys. A lot of issues of cultism have been traced to him, and he has been declared wanted by the military. The full weight of the law is upon him and his team. It’s a matter of time. If he likes, let him run outside the country, we will still get him. We appeal to Nigerians not to support the killers and not to protect them in any way.
