Military will account for what happened in Okuama – Reps

The House of Representatives has said the Nigerian military will account for what happened in Okuama community in aftermath of the killing of 17 personnel in the Ewu-Urhobo community of Delta State.

TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports Rep. Babajimi Benson, Chairman of the House Committee on Defence said this while speaking with newsmen at Government House Annex, Edjeba Warri, Delta State.

Recall that 17 military personnel, made up of a Commanding Officer, two Majors, a Captain, and 13 others, were said to have been ambushed and murdered on March 14 in Okuama.

The House of Representatives in pursuit of justice in respect of the carnage and in adherence to its resolution of March 19, 2024 convened a public hearing at the Government House Annex.

The House of Representatives aimed to explore the immediate and remote causes, effects, and the perpetrators of the tragic incident that led to the loss of lives, including military officers, and other related events.

Speaking, Rep. Benson disclosed that the committee has received a number of memoranda from stakeholders and that a window of one week was still open for further submission of memoranda to enrich the deliberations.

“We have received a lot of memoranda but the people have not turned up physically. We intend to work with the memoranda, it’s extensive and the window is open for a week, so we are still expecting a lot more memorandum.

“We need to be fully armed with what is going on. The activities of the committee have not ended with the public hearing. We will visit the locals. We will still need to invite the army to give an account of what happened there.

“We will meet with both sides of the divide. We definitely have to meet with the locals but we need to be armed with information from the people where the carnage took place.

“We have gotten a lot [memoranda] and we intend to work on the memoranda. The window is still open for a week and we are still expecting more memoranda. We want to see this matter to its logical conclusion,” Benson said.

Meanwhile, the committee has asked interested parties who do not want to show up to forward their memoranda to the Clerk, House Committee on Defence at Room 315, White House, House of Representatives, National Assembly, Three Arms Zone, Abuja.

Amongst those who have already submitted memoranda to the committee are groups, including the Urhobo Renaissance Society (URS), Urhobo Media and Advocacy Group (UMPAG) and Chief Victor Otomewo, Esq.