Exclusive – How My Brother In The Army Called Us To Run Away Because Order For Mass Killing In Okuama Has Been Given – Testimony Of Okuama Refugee
An escapee from Okuama has given account of how he escaped the troubled community after the killing of 16 Nigerian soldiers. In the account, he spoke anonymously because of the volatile situation of the matter. He also said unverified information was passed to him that anyone caught saying what happened in Okuama will be fished out and killed.
Our correspondent succeeded after numerous attempts to speak with the escapee. Afraid that he doesn’t know whom he is talking with, he initially declined to speak. He instead said he wants to thank God for bringing him and his family to safety, because what he has been reading about his community is terrifying.
“I cannot speak with you because everything is still fresh. I don’t know you, and the way you people approached me is strange. I just came into Warri yesterday and you approached me today. Let me rest and listen to what is happening in my community, my people are dying, I heard they are burning and shooting everybody. I have sisters and brothers left in the village” he refuted our correspondent initially, but persistence earned us a time with him.
We explained that we are a news company and only want to make his voice and those of his brothers and sisters heard, so the onslaught against the community could stop. It took a trip from Enugu State to Warri after one of our sources confirmed having information of someone that escaped the onslaught.
Speaking on his experience, the escapee said he has never been this terrified all his life, as the talk of Odi filled his head immediately the death of the 16 soldiers was announced. He narrated how having a serving brother in the military aided his early escape from the community.
“We were surprised that soldiers were killed because we are not having any problem with soldiers. The youth are having issue with Okoloba youth, normal land dispute and the next we heard was that soldiers that came to the community were killed. We were confused because nobody knew how the soldiers were killed; there are many interests because this land in question has something in it” he said,
He detailed it was his brother that forced them to leave because what was coming was immense “My brother called and said they received information that soldiers were killed. He said the anger in the barrack was much because their oga was among the victims. So, he disclosed that soldiers are agitating and threatening to do what was done to Odi. I tried to explain to him that we know nothing about the killing of the soldiers but he was tensed and said nobody will be spared” he narrated.
He further narrated how his brother said that soldiers were coming for the entire community and were singing “Dem Don Kill Dem Mama Dem Papa” song of Timaya, making fun of it and saying he would sing the part two. The song references the music Timaya dedicated to Odi, a community in the Niger Delta that was slaughtered by Nigerian army for killing Nigerian Police officers.
”I told my wife and three children to start packing up things. We were lucky the information came earlier enough, because on the way to Warri, we didn’t see soldiers heading to my community. We thank God because I now heard some people were stopped on the road while running out of the community” he narrated. He also said he had a stop before finally getting to Warri.
Asked about the fate of those in the village and if he has heard from his brothers and sisters. “I have not heard from anybody. Nobody is talking and we have been told to be mindful of what we say. We are just calm and watching like others. I read news and I see what is going on, what I saw two days ago was heartbreaking. The entire community was burning and the soldiers were celebrating like we are enemies of Nigeria”
When asked to speak to the world, he said that he wants everything to stop and for the government to understand there is existing militant activities in the region.
- “There are militants in entire Niger Delta; a community should not be wiped out because militants attacked soldiers. The soldiers should rather confront the militants and attack the creeks. These militants are not living with us, we are innocent and we cannot even explain what killed those soldiers. We are also confused and want to know the truth, but soldiers came and started killing everybody without finding out how or what happened” he said and continued.
“We call on our Governor to intervene, he has gone there and the military should stop killing our people. They should calm down and investigate to finding out the truth. We are innocent, and we don’t deserve what we are getting from our country” he concluded.
This firsthand account was edited for length and language suitability.
