Two army officials spoke separately on Wednesday concerning the murder of the 17 soldiers in the state.
The Nigerian army has contradicted itself on the recovery of arms and ammunition reportedly snatched from 17 soldiers who were murdered on 14 March by suspected residents of the Okuama Community in Delta State.
PREMIUM TIMES reported how the Commanding Officer of 181 Army Amphibious Battalion, two majors, one captain and 13 soldiers were ambushed and murdered in the state.
The troops were attacked while responding to a distress call arising from a clash between Okuama and Okoloba communities in the South-southern state.
The contradiction
The Chief of Defence Staff, Christopher Musa, had earlier said the slain commanding officer of 181 Army Amphibious Battalion and his team went to the Okuama unarmed because it was a peacekeeping mission.
“They (the slain soldiers) were deployed there legally. And it was because the commanding officer felt that the threat was not all that high, that was why he went there with his team to discuss with the individuals (Okuama residents). He did not go there armed. If that gallant officer had gone there armed, he would have erased everybody in that place.
“But he felt these were the people he knew. These are Nigerians that he could talk to and when he (the commanding officer) stepped up to talk to them (the community members) with his team, they (the soldiers) were rounded up and shot,” Mr Musa, an army general, had said.
The army chief spoke on Wednesday when he appeared as a guest on Arise TV’s The Morning Show, monitored by PREMIUM TIMES.
But in an apparent contradiction, the Chief of Civil-Military Affairs of the army, Nosakhare Ugbo, announced later on Wednesday that the army had recovered some arms and ammunition snatched from the slain soldiers, Vanguard newspaper reported.
“Arrests will be continually made. This is an issue under investigation, but l am telling you that our equipment, our arms and ammunition, we are still searching for them (weapons). We have got some, we have not got others, the search is continuing,” he said.
Mr Ugbo, a major general, spoke during the army’s Civil-Military Cooperation Media Chat in Asaba, the state capital.
“There is an investigation and the (Okuama) community is helping the investigators to lead to the solution of recovering our arms, and also helping us to identify and arrest all of the perpetrators of the dastardly act. So, let us be patient. With time, everything will come out,” he added.
The army chief explained that like others, reporters do not have access into the Okuama Community because investigation was still ongoing in the area.
“It is a crime scene. Even in civil crimes, you will tape it everywhere. That is a crime scene. Investigation has not been concluded. So, l don’t think it will be appropriate for anybody to go there and interfere with the investigation,” he said.
Safety of detained Delta monarch
PREMIUM TIMES earlier reported that the Defence Headquarters, on Thursday, declared eight suspects wanted over the murder of the army personnel.
The traditional ruler of Ewu Kingdom in the Ughelli South Local Government Area of Delta State, Clement Ikolo, was among those declared wanted.
Mr Ikolo has since surrendered himself to the police in the state from where he was whisked away to the Nigerian army Headquarters in Abuja for questioning.
The monarch was still at the army custody as of the time of filing this report
Asked about the safety of the monarch, Mr Ugbo said: “The traditional ruler, l believe, is safe. They are still questioning him; he is still under investigation.
“Every other issue around Okuama is still under investigation and l assure you that at the end of the investigation, whatever will unfold will be brought to the fore. Everyone will be informed on the outcome of the investigation.”
Army to declare more suspects wanted
Mr Ugbo, during the interview, suggested that apart from the initial eight suspects, more suspects could be declared wanted by the military authorities.
“As l told you, the investigation is on. Probably tomorrow, they (investigators) may see other names. As the investigation unfolds, more facts will emerge, and new people might be called for questioning,” he said.
Search of Clark’s home
There were reports recently that military personnel conducted a search on the residence of a Niger Delta leader, Edwin Clark.
Reacting, Mr Ugbo said what happened was part of the ongoing investigation, stressing that if nothing incriminating was found in Mr Clark’s residence, he would not be prosecuted.
“In the first instance, l said it is an ongoing investigation. If during the investigation, they find that l have something, l am sure they will come and ask me questions or they will search me. If ,during the search, they find nothing, they will let me go,” he stressed.