Okuama killings: Bayelsa leaders urge military to spare innocent residents

An Ijaw leader has urged the military to protect innocent residents as they search for the masterminds of the attack that killed 17 soldiers in Okuama in Delta State.

Chief Ayebatari Easterday of Igbomotoru in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of the state, expressed his concern in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Yenagoa on Tuesday.

He spoke against the backdrop of the ongoing military crackdown on speculated hideouts of the suspects who perpetrated the crime in Delta State, now alleged to have fled to Bayelsa State.

Easterday, a former councillor who represented the community in the local government area, called on security agents to always carry out in-depth investigations before taking actions capable of affecting innocent lives.

He alleged that some people had been killed in the community by aggrieved soldiers in search of the militants who allegedly spearheaded the death of the 17 soldiers.

According to him, economic activities in Igbomotoru, a coastline community on the bank of the River Nun, have reduced due to the activities of the military.

Similarly, a former member of the House of Representatives, Henry Daniel-Ofongo and member representing Igbomotoru in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area caretaker committee, Solomon Suobo, unanimously called for caution.

They urged the military to abide by the rule of engagement guiding their operations.

The soldiers, they said, should conduct themselves in a manner that will not make the innocent to continue to bear the brunt of evil acts committed by others.

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