In light of the military releasing a wanted list with pictures of eight people suspected to be connected to the killing of 17 military officers in the Okuama community of Delta State, the Executive Director of the Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre (RULAAC), Mr. Okechukwu Nwaguma, has asked the military to end the siege in Delta communities.
The soldiers who were on a peacekeeping mission in the community over a land dispute between two communities met their end in Okuama, leading to intense military action in the community.
Nwaguma, who condemned the killing of the officers, however, called for an impartial inquiry into the attack to find out what exactly happened and those responsible, rather than allow the military to continue punishing the entire community for the crime committed by a few.
He said Nigerians should be careful not to have a repetition of the Odi community crisis of 1999, which led to the loss of innocent lives and properties of the Odi people.
“Military reprisals after every single case of the killing of soldiers violate due process and the military’s rules of engagement. Collective punishment of a whole community because of a crime committed by a few people in the community, who usually would have disappeared from the community after the crime, is prohibited and illegal under national law and international human rights standards,” he stated.
Mr. Nwaguma advised the military to allow the police, which is charged with internal security, to take over and carry out an impartial and exhaustive investigation of the unfortunate incident.
“The military cannot be the judge in their case. It offends the law of natural justice,” he explained.
He further asked that the Delta State government should empanel a judicial inquiry into the circumstances leading to the attacks against the soldiers and the military reprisals against the community members without further delay.
Meanwhile, in a recent development, the Nigeria Police Force has apprehended eight suspects connected to the killing of its officers in the Ughelli community of Delta State.
The incident, which happened about a month before the Okuama killings, saw six officers lose their lives, while another six are still missing.
The information stated on their verified X page revealed that significant progress has been made in the investigation into the tragic incident that occurred in Ughelli, Delta State, on February 23, 2024, where officers on a fact-finding mission were ambushed, and on February 26, 2024, where other officers on a rescue mission were also ambushed, resulting in the death of six policemen, while six others are still missing in action.
“The arrested suspects are currently in custody and are assisting with the ongoing investigation,” the police said.
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