A traditional ruler in Delta State and the Ovie of Umiaghwa Abraka Kingdom in Ethiope East Local Government Area, His Majesty, Lucky Ochuko Ararile, on Saturday called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to order the military stationed in troubled in Okuama community to vacate the area.
The monarch also described the killing of 17 soldiers on peace mission to the community as “an unfortunate situation, regrettable and condemnable”.
This was contained in the monarch’s address at First Baptist Church, Oria, on the occasion of a thanksgiving service in commemoration of his 12 years on the throne.
He, however, maintained that “in order to avoid such incidents, security operatives must stick to their roles”.
The traditional ruler said, “The way the soldiers were killed was not in tandem with the culture of Urhobo and other ethnic groups in the Niger Delta. 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. The traditional ruler said the mode of the killings was Boko Haram-like. Nevertheless, residents need to return back and try to get their lives back and start rebuilding.
“The destruction that was carried out in Okuama after the murder of the military men was also regrettable too”.
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