Okuama: Ijaw group decries ‘campaign of calumny’ against military

The Concerned Ijaw Citizens (CIC) has expressed worry over a string of sponsored and unwarranted attacks and a well orchestrated campaign of calumny against the Nigerian military leadership on the Okoloba/Okuama crisis.

The group in a open letter to President Bola Tinubu jointly signed by its Coordinator, Mr Seigha Manager and the Publicity Secretary, Chief Andrew E. Elijah, said it has uncovered a string of sponsored and unwarranted attacks and a well orchestrated campaign of calumny by a section of the media with a view to discrediting the Nigeria military on the Okoloba/Okuama crisis.

It stated that the aim was to blackmail the Armed Forces with deliberate falsehood and unfounded stories as a ploy to demand for the removal of the Service Chiefs.

While commending the level of professionalism of the military in handling the Okoloba/Okuama crisis, the group urged the Military Command not to be blackmailed to abandon their professional duties.

The group stated that the Okoloba people believe in peaceful means to end the conflict and agreed to submit themselves to the Military Board of inquiry.

The letter stated that the Okoloba people have been notifying the relevant security agencies, local and state government on the recklessly activities of the Okuama people including (but not limited to) alleged unwarranted harassment of defenceless women and men with machetes, clubs, bows, arrows, guns in their farms and fishing lakes, rape, kidnap, arson, murder among others.

The letter states: “Permit us your excellency to bring to your gracious notice that we have uncovered a string of sponsored and unwarranted attacks and a well orchestrated campaign of calumny by a section of the media with a view to discrediting the military on the Okoloba/Okuama crisis.

“This negative media campaign made up of concocted stories and deliberately misleading headlines started surfacing immediately after the killing of the 17 military personnel in Okuama and continued unabated up till the setting up of the probe panel by the military high command.

“We are duty bound to alert the rest of the country and Mr President that the sole objective of the Okuama people rejecting the panel of inquiry is to hoodwink the rest of the country into joining their ungodly attempt to rubbish the efforts of the Armed Forces that lost officers and men in Okuama in the most barbaric manner, to distract their attention from another planned attack from Urhobo communities.

“The recovery of arms and ammunitions from Olota Community (Ewu-Urhobo community) few kilometres from Okoloba is a proof that the hostile attitude of Okuama to the Military panel of inquiry was to divert the attention of military from their peace-keeping duties.”

The group said it was unfortunate that a section of the media would throw away ethics of the profession anchored on truth, and go ahead to publish cooked-up stories with the sole aim of blackmailing and discrediting members of the Armed Forces still mourning their loved ones and still working hard to safeguard lives and property in the creeks of the Niger Delta.

They warned that the blackmailers have carried this smear campaign to civil societies, professional groups and the international community, but failed.

“Your excellency, the recovery of countless arms and ammunitions at Olota, an Ewu-Urhobo community has vindicated the Okoloba people that the Okuama people and the Ewu kiths and kins have been the aggressors all along and that the army’s ‘cordon and search’ operations are the best option for now in our area.

“Those crying wolf against the army have a hidden agenda and the activities of the military are in their own best interests,” they declared.

The group condemned the unprovoked killing of 17 soldiers in Okuama and expressed condolences to the Chief of Defence Staff (COS), the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) and the families of the fallen heroes.