Let Army Vacate Okuama, Delta Monarch Tells President Tinubu
The King of Umiaghwa Abraka Kingdom in Ethiope East Local Government Area, Delta State, HRM (AVM) Lucky Ochuko Ararile (rtd.), has described the killing of 17 soldiers in Okuama Community as an unfortunate situation, regrettable and condemnable.
His Royal Majesty, Ararile said this at First Baptist Church, Oria, during a thanksgiving service, to mark his Majesty 12 years on the throne. He equally called on President Bola Tinubu to order soldiers stationed in Okuama community to vacate the area.
According to the king “Residents need to return back and try to get their lives back and start rebuilding,” noting that the destruction that was carried out in Okuama after the murder of the military men was also regrettable too.
Furthermore, the King stated that the way the soldiers were killed was not in tandem with the culture of Urhobo and other ethnic groups in the Niger Delta. According to him
“No ethnic group in the Niger Delta has it as a culture to desecrate the bodies of the dead. We don’t chop off people’s heads, remove their hearts or dismember it”.
While stating that the mode of the killings was Boko Haram-like, the traditional ruler said to avoid such incidents, security operatives must stick to their roles.
“In Nigeria, the army does the job of the police, NSCDC does the job of everyone else. The only jobs that others cannot do is that of the Airforce because they cannot fly planes,” his Royal Majesty argued.
The monarch further noted that even amongst the same security outfits, some persons are not allowed to do their jobs. He cited instances where cases being handled by the DPO are moved from Abraka, Delta State to Abuja.
According to the retired Air Vice Marshall and now traditional ruler: “In a murder case moved out of Abraka to Abuja, how do you move witnesses there during a police investigation? If the DPO does not have what it takes to complete such an investigation, Abuja should give him the needed backing and not move cases out and in some cases release the suspects.”
With respect to President Bola Tinubu’s performance so far, the king noted that the President was on track.
His words: “The president did well by setting up a powerful Economic Team. This means that he has his hands on the table, knows the problems and has good ideas to deal with issues.”
He called on Nigerians to be patient with President Bola Tinubu and support the federal government as well as the state government.
Meanwhile His Royal Majesty noted ” some people may think that I have collected ‘brown envelope’ to say these things. Those that know me are aware that no one can influence what I say because I say it the way it should be said”.
How the President will react to His Royal Majesty’s advice remains to be seen.