The President of the Ijaw Youth Congress, Jonathan Lokpobiri, accused the military of launching retaliatory strikes against Igbomotoru in response to the soldiers’ deaths in Okuama, Delta State, while addressing reporters on Monday in Yenagoa, the capital of Bayelsa State.
Following the killing of the 17 soldiers in Okuama community, there were reports that the military had invaded Igbomotoru in search of the suspected militant leader that carried out the killing. It was claimed that the military burnt down some houses and killed several persons during the invasion.
According to the report by Daily Post, Lokpobiri said that a thorough investigation should be carried out into the invasion of Igbomotoru by the army because they have seen cases where people in the Niger Delta were accused of crimes they did not know anything about.
He added that if at the end of the day, they find out that the people of Igbomotoru did not have a hand in the killing of the soldiers in Okuama, then they would sue the federal government for damages.
He said, “If independent investigations reveal that people from that community did not play a role in the death of the military officers and men, and based on just information without proper investigations and reprisal attack on our communities leading to the death of dozens of persons and destruction of properties worth hundreds of naira, we will sue the Federal Government so that adequate compensation can be paid to the community people.
“I demand a probe into the invasion of Igbomotoru community, the reason being that in Niger Delta, we have seen cases where people are accused of various crimes they know nothing about. Whilst I’m not disproving the evidence that may be available to the military, I demand some strong level of deep investigation into the scenario.”
