Explainer: What Is Happening In Delta State?   

Some soldiers of the Nigerian Army were attacked over the weekend, with sixteen reported to have been killed in an ambush while on a mission to intervene in a communal clash between Okuama and Okoloba communities of Delta State. 

Cause Of The Attack

The conflict stems from a longstanding land dispute between the Okuama and Okoloba communities, resulting in clashes and the subsequent abduction of one person. Efforts to resolve the crisis proved abortive, prompting a distress call, and intervention of the 181 Amphibious Battalion troops to restore peace. On their way, the soldiers “were surrounded by some community youths and killed,” Defense Headquarters spokesman Brig. Gen. Tukur Gusau said in a statement.

The attack resulted in the tragic loss of the reinforcement team, including the Commanding officer, two Majors, one Captain, and twelve soldiers. The soldiers are believed to have been killed in the Okuama community, where numerous houses were reportedly set ablaze on Sunday morning.

Led by Major General Jamal Abdussalam, the Army recovered the bodies of fourteen slain soldiers early Saturday morning in the Okuama community, located in the Ughelli South Local Government Area of Delta State.

The report further stated that some of the recovered corpses had been subjected to gruesome mutilation, some beheaded, others having their organs ripped out and the bodies of the commanding officer, the two majors found floating by the river bank, while others were discovered separated on land.

Responses To The Attack

In the aftermath of the attack on the battalion, General Christopher Gwabin Musa, the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), has ordered an immediate investigation and the arrest of individuals involved in the attacks In a statement on Sunday,  President Tinubu “granted full authority to bring to justice anybody found to have been responsible for this unconscionable crime against the Nigerian people.”

Furthermore, Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 elections, has strongly condemned the killing of army officers and soldiers in Delta State, denouncing it as barbaric and unacceptable. Governor Sheriff Oborevwori of Delta State has also condemned the killing, describing it as despicable and contrary to the values of Deltans. Similarly, the Pan-Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), led by Ijaw leader Chief Edwin Clark, has declared the act unacceptable and called for a thorough investigation.

Meanwhile, a manhunt for the perpetrators is ongoing, with some arrests already made by soldiers under the command of Major General Jamal Abdussalam, the General Officer Commanding 6th Division of the Nigerian Army. 

Residents of the coastal community have reportedly fled to neighboring Ughelli out of fear of potential reprisals by the soldiers who are patrolling the creeks.