By Jimitota Onoyume

Neighbouring Urhobo communities to  Okuama in Ughelli south local government area  have decried alleged military onslaught in their areas in the name of search  for missing weapons stolen from soldiers  butchered to death in Okuama community penultimate week ago.

Some leaders of the community who spoke under condition of anonymity said  some heavily armed military personnel ransacked the entire community weekend, demanding for guns and other lethal weapons allegedly hidden in the area, adding that they  even threatened to open fire at some of them ( community leaders ) if they failed to disclose where  arms and ammunition were kept in the community.

The community leaders alleged that the military men stormed the community with gun boats through the waterways and military patrol vehicles on the road to the area.

Continuing, the community folks said the soldiers in their large numbers took over the community threatening to bring down houses if the residents  failed to bring out guns in the village.

” They ordered everyone to lie on the ground as they  dished out  orders that we should bring out hidden guns “, one of them said.

The community leaders further appealed to the military to leave out Orere community from their target areas of operation, stressing that they were a peace loving and God fearing community. 

It  would be recalled that the  Director Defence Media Operations ,Major General Edward Buba,  had in a press statement said the military had extended search for missing rifles of the slain soldiers to areas outside Bomadi local government area and Okuama community.

He said, :”Troops have continued a manhunt for the perpetrators of the barbaric killing of 18 soldiers that occurred on 14 Mar 24. Accordingly, clearance operations as well as  cordon and search were conducted to among other things to recover the weapons of the deceased soldiers. Some of the communities in which troops have operated include: Akugbene, Ukuama and Okoloba Communities in Ugheli and Ugheli South of Delta State. Others are; Ukuama Amusamo, Akwagbe, Arhavwarien,Pirigbene and Igbomatoro Communities all in Delta State.  “

Vanguard gathered that in some of the communities  around Okuama, the military men seized local guns used by hunters and vigilante members.