Bolaji Jimoh 
The Nigerian Army on Tuesday said the horrific deaths of its soldiers in Okuoma, Delta State, were communally orchestrated by locals, and there will be no reprisal on the part of the troops.
It would be recalled that 17 military personnel, including a lieutenant colonel, two majors, a captain, and 13 soldiers, died on Thursday in Okuoma, Bomadi Local Government Area of Delta State while on a peace mission.
The Federal and State governments have denounced the incident and promised to hold those responsible accountable.
Speaking in the development on Tuesday, the Nigerian Army spokesperson, Onyema Nwachukwu said instead of working together to find the offenders, the community decided to use media strategies.
Nwachukwu stated that the community’s story is deceptive and intended to win over the people to the killing of the military personnel.
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“These were troops committed to peace and security of lives and property of citizens and non-citizens alike in the Niger Delta Region, murdered in cold blood by an armed youth gang of Okuoma Community in the most gruesome, heartless, and cruel manner, and went ahead to sacrilegiously debase their remains by ripping out their hearts by the very people they were there to protect.
“Regrettably, the community complicit in this dastardly act has resorted to media propaganda and shenanigans, rather than engage in a positive effort to fish out the perpetrators of this heinous crime,” the statement reads.
Reiterating that the army would not retaliate, Nwachukwu urged the people to go out of their legal activities.
