..Debunks report of its planned attack on military across N’Delta
The Ijaw National Congress (INC) declared on Sunday that the law must take its course in the killing of officers and men of the Nigerian Army at Okuama, Delta.
Okuoma youths in Ughelli South Local Government Area of Delta ambushed and killed 16 officers and men of the 181 Amphibious Battalion of the Nigerian Army on peace mission to the community on March 14.
Those killed were the battalion’s Commanding Officer, Lt.-Col. AH Ali, two Majors, a Captain, and 12 soldiers.
In a statement issued on Sunday in Abuja, Prof. Benjamin Okaba, INC President, stated that in a country like Nigeria, a constitutional democracy, the killing of the military men was condemnable.
“The INC has made series of statements condemning the senseless, brutal and cold blooded killing of military officers performing their legitimate duties in Delta.
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“It is the unalloyed position of the INC that those found culpable should be apprehended, properly investigated and subjected to the dictates of the law.
“The INC is unequivocal in its demand that the law should be allowed to take its course,’’ he stated.
The INC cautioned that innocent Okuoma community people should not be lumped together with culpable community members, stressing that it was only the culpable that should be made to face the full wrath of the law.
The INC president also debunked a story which he stated was circulating that ljaw youths were planning attacks on security and oil installations.
“The INC appeals that this information be dismissed as wicked and malicious falsehood intended to cause trouble and unwarranted crises in ljaw land and by extension, in the Nigeria Delta.
“The Ijaw ethnic nationality is not at war with the Federal Government or with any other ethnic nationality,’’ the INC president stated.
Meanwhile, the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) has described an online report alleging its planned attack on military facilities across the Niger Delta region as false.
IYC said there was no truth in the publication claiming it was planning coordinated attacks on military facilities across the region.
The council’s rebuttal is contained in a statement issued in Yenagoa on Sunday by its spokesman, Amb. Binebai Princewill.
According to the statement, the report emanated from the pit of hell, and one taken too far by mischief makers and enemies of the region and Ijaw nation.
“The council would have ignored the said publication but for the times we are in.
“It is very key and important that we clear the air to the Nigerian Military that the IYC has no issue with the military, not to talk of attacking them,” it read.
The council said the false publication, originating from the Facebook Lite page of Officers and Cadets Worldwide, also called on military units to be vigilant and combat-ready.
IYC recalled it had on March 18, 2024, condemned the dastard attack that killed 16 military men in Delta.
“We did condemn the gruesome murder in strong terms and its entirety the killing of soldiers on a peace mission to Okuama in Ughelli South Local Government Area of Delta State on March 14, 2024.
“Hence we are wondering where this misleading information is coming from,” it read.
The council, therefore, warned mischief makers to keep clear of IYC while urging Nigerians to disseminate only true and credible information to the public.
“In setting the records straight, IYC has a communication channel that is used in passing information for the Ijaw youths across the world and to Nigerians in general,” the statement read.
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