*Sen. Akpabio attributes attack on Soldiers to mercenaries
*As Clark urges President Tinubu to halt reprisal attacksBy Daniel Tyokua
Governor Sheriff Oborevwori of Delta State has stated that the culprits in the killing of soldiers and officers in Okuama community i nthe state will be fished out, but assured residents of their safety.
This was as the President of the Senate, Sen. Godswill Akpabio stated that rose who carried attack on the soldiers must have been mercenaries who were out to cause trouble.
Akpabio speaking at Plenary in the Senate, while condemning the attacks said no right-thinking man will attack soldiers on a peace mission, insisting that those who caused the problem must have been mercenaries.
Recall that seventeen military officers were gruesomely murdered in the community licated at Ughelli-South Local Government Area (LGA) community last week, leading to a wave of commendation.
While the community was razed in the wake of the attack and fears of reprisals are high, Oborevwori stated that military authorities have assured him of the safety of residents of the community.
It was even speculated that more than 50 persons, mainly elderly women and children have been killed in reprisal attacks by the military and thrown into the river.
The Governor on Monday, visited Okuama community in Ughelli, where the soldiers were killed to examine the extent of the damage from the fire that engulfed parts of the community, by yet-to-be-identified persons.
And on Tuesday, he went to Abuja to confer with President Bola Tinubu on how to bring the crises to a halt.
“I decided to come here to brief Mr President of all the things we have been doing to maintain peace. Mr President has assured me that he is in support of peace and we both condemn the killing of the officers and the soldiers because they were there on a peace mission,” he said while briefing the media after a meeting with President Bola Tinubu in Abuja on Tuesday.
“What is happening now is something that we did not bargain for. But we want to assure everybody that there will be no more attacks on the villages.
“If there’s anyone that will that has happened in the past, there will be no attack.
“But we know that those who are culpable will be brought a book but innocent citizens will not be will not be attacked.”
*Clark appeals to Tinubu to intervene to halt military on reprisal attacks
Equally elderstatesman, Chief Edwin Clark, in condemning the killing of the soldiers, he cautioned against adopting unconstitutional means in fishing out the perpetrators.
“We all support the President when he said the perpetrators should be looked for. The communities where these things happened are well known to me. Historically, the communities are of the same descendants. It is likely they have been having disputes, but nobody has gone to the extent of carrying out such hideous act in the past. I’m very happy when i heard that the Governor has stepped into the matter.
“My appeal to our gallant soldiers is that they should act maturely and not to take the laws into their own hands. As far as I am concerned, I’m appealing to the military to take it easy. There are modena technology to track down the people who did this thing.
“What I’m saying is that the Military should sit down and do it better. We are all Nigerians. I rhino Nigerians observed the death of these gallant soldiers by declaring a day to mourn them.
“We are appealing to the military to take it easy. I will appeal to Mr. President to also appeal to the soldiers to take it easy while looking for the people that carried out this attack”.
