The National Association of Seadogs, Pyrates Confraternity, NAS/ PC has urged the military not to turn Okuama in Ughelli South Local Government Area to another Odi in the quest to arrest killers of the 16 soldiers in the area.

Odi in Kolokuma/Opokuma Local Government Area of Bayelsa State was in November 1999 destroyed on the orders of then President Olusegun Obasanjo as part of efforts to arrest some youths who murdered some Policemen on a peace mission.

The NAS Capoon, Mr Abiola Owoaje in a statement: ‘Okuama Bloodbath: Averting another Odi’ decried the killing of 16 soldiers in Okuama community by gunmen noting that their killing was an affront on the collective will of Nigerians.

Owoaje however stated that the arrest of those behind the killings and their prosecution and punishment must be in a manner prescribed by the laws.

While commiserating with the families of the dead soldiers and the Nigerian Army over the killings he implored the military to exercise caution in the quest to get justice for the fallen soldiers.

Owoaje specifically urged the military to resist the temptation of ‘’violent reprisals’’ and ‘’collective punishment’’.

He noted that those saddled with supervising the military operation should be cautious to avert another episode of Odi bombing.

The statement read in part: ‘’The recourse to indiscriminate brute force would not only make innocent people of the area suffer because of the action of a few criminal elements, it will also diminish the deaths of the gallant soldiers. A clinical operation which is intelligence driven must be deployed to apprehend the culprits.

‘’More importantly, the federal government, in collaboration with all relevant stakeholders and without delay, must institute an independent probe to unravel the circumstances that led to the killing of the soldiers. This has become imperative following the recriminations between Urhobo and Ijaw leaders over the killings. The ethnic coloration being given to the killing by the Urhobo and Ijaw communities must be wholly rejected and the leaders of the two ethnic groups must desist from hasty, unguarded and inflammatory utterances capable of escalating tension in the area.

‘’We urge community leaders in the area to demonstrate patriotism by enjoining their subjects to cooperate with the military authorities to identify the culprits for arrests to avoid collateral damage to the communities. Apprehending the killers must be a collective responsibility.’’