Okuoma community is an Urhobo community in Ughelli south L.G.A located along the Forcados River. It shares boundaries with the Akugbene and Okoloba communities, and both are Izon (Ijaw) speaking communities, located in Bomadi L.G.A of Delta State. Both communities have lived together peacefully for over 3 centuries now. Okuoma community is in the Ewu-Sophie clan of the Urhobo tribe of Delta State.
Their major occupation is farming and fishing.
There are other Urhobo communities along the Forcados River that all share a boundary with the Izon-speaking communities. They are also follows: Gbaregolor, Okuoma, Olota, Alagbabiri communities etc., all these communities are in Ughelli South L.G.A and they all share boundaries with the Izon-speaking communities. These communities have lived with the Izon-speaking communities for several centuries. They have had intermarriages, inter trades, among themselves for some centuries. We have several families who are from both tribes (Urhobo and Ijaw). In the olden days, for you to be crowned a king in Izon land, you must have your maternal roots from the Urhobos. I don’t know if that tradition is still in practice. I know some few Kings whose maternal roots are from the Urhobo tribe, e.g. HRM Oporomor Godspower of Bomadi town (Ijaw community) in Bomadi L.G.A. He had his maternal roots in the Gbaregolor community (Urhobo community) which is located along the Forcados River. His Royal Highness, king of the Akugbene community (Ijaw town) has his maternal roots in the Okuoma community (Urhobo town). The king of Akugbene community influenced some developments in Okuoma, like the construction of a jetty at the waterfront of Okuoma, etc. These people (Urhobos and Ijaws) are one people because they are related by blood or marriage in one way or another. Mr. Barrister Smooth, a famous Ijaw singer once said in his song “When you come to my house you can’t separate Ijaw man from Urhobo man because they all live together as one.” We are one people.
Back to the main issue;
Okuoma community had a land dispute with their neighboring community Okoloba over a common boundary. The land dispute has been lingering for quite a long time now. At the boundary side of the Okoloba community, there is a white mansion, this mansion belongs to a warlord, a man known to be a right-hand man to Mr. Government Tompolo.
Okoloba community has always claimed ownership of the land on which the Okuoma community is located, they always say the “Okuoma inhabitants are their tenants”.
If you recall, I earlier said there is a mansion at the boundary of both communities, this mansion is owned by a warlord from Okoloba (Ijaw community) this man is so influential and he owns a shrine in this mansion where he practices human sacrifices as rituals in worshipping his war god; Egbesu. Last month February, this man armed his boys and attacked a commercial boat conveying some Okuoma community boys namely Igho and co. These boys were all murdered by this warlord and he labeled them criminals. He wrote to JTF (Joint Task Force) that they were criminals. Remember, I told you that he is Tompolo’s right-hand man He is so influential and connected that whatever he tells the JTF is what they accept because his boss Tompolo owns Tantita Security Forces and they control the creeks. This act alone triggered the grievance of the Okuoma community. When this warlord’s gang wants to carry out these crimes, they put on army camouflage so it’s difficult to differentiate genuine Army personnel from these hoodlums.
Last week, a man named Anthony Aboh from the Okoloba community went missing, his relation from Okoloba community, an Honorable member, believed that It was the Okuoma community that kidnapped him to retaliate for the attack which was carried out on the Okuoma community boys, so they reported the issue to the Bomadi JTF. Just before he reported, the body of the alleged kidnapped man was discovered floating on River Forcados at Ayakoromor community. His hands were tied and he had been beheaded (that was the picture displayed on Social Media with the fallen soldier’s body). This annoyed the Okoloba community so much, that the Honorable and some delegates from the Okoloba reported to JTF, which then proceeded to the Okuoma community on March 14th, 2024 with some soldiers in the company of the Honorable. On reaching there, they met with the chairman and elders of the community in their town hall and they brought up the case of the kidnapped beheaded man with the community leaders. The chairman and elders all denied saying they knew nothing of such a case, which made the soldiers ask the elders and community leaders to lie on the floor. The Army then insisted on arresting the community leaders and that was where the crises erupted. The information got to the youths that fake soldiers had come to terrorize the community again, and when they turned up there was an argument between the Army and community youths. The Army released some gunshots, leading to a full-blown war between the youths and the Army because they believed they were fake soldiers. They were killed in error, it is a case of mistaken identity.
The people of Oklahoma where soldiers were killed were attacked by Ijaws (Okoloba warlord) and they suffered casualties, mind you when this warlord carried out the dastardly act they wore Army camouflage.
Within the same week, on sighting men in uniform again in the Okuoma community, they believed they were the same set of Ijaws warriors from Okoloba again and retaliated, killing all of them not knowing that they were real soldiers.
The real cause of the crises
March 15th, Okuoma was raided and razed down by the Nigerian Army because of the death of the 16 fallen soldiers, women, children, and aged men weren’t spared, but funny enough the actual perpetrators have since fled the community leaving those who are either too old, too weak, too sick, too young, or too innocent to flee. Till now, there’s still crying, gnashing of teeth, and blood flow around the Forcados River axis. On March 17th 2024, the Army stormed the white mansion at the border after gathering intelligence, on reaching there, they were amazed at what they discovered in the shrine at the white mansion. This mansion is situated at the River bank; they discovered fresh and dried human skulls of innocent people who were used by this warlord as sacrifices for his god (Egbesu). Angered, the Nigerian Army burned down the mansion. Some fake soldiers were also arrested in the mansion. This is the true story of what happened that has claimed so many lives including the lives of a Lt. Colonel, 2 Majors, a Captain, and 12 soldiers, all men of the Nigeria Armed Forces.
The Defence Headquarters gave the names of those killed as:
– Lt Col AH Ali, the Command Officer, 181 Amphibious Battalion, Nigerian Army
– Maj SD Shafa (N/13976)
– Maj DE Obi (N/14395)
– Capt U Zakari (N/16348)
– SSgt Yahaya Saidu (#3NA/36/2974)
– Cpl Yahaya Danbaba (1ONA/65/7274)
– Col Kabiru Bashir (11NA/66/9853)
– LCol Bulus Haruna (16NA/TS/5844)
– Lal Sole Opeyemi (17NA/760719)
– LCpl Bello Anas (17NA/76/290)
– LCpl Hamman Peter (NA/T82653)
– LCpl Ibrahim Abdullahi (18NA/77/1191)
– Pte Alhaji Isah (17NA/76/6079)
– Pte Clement Francis (19NA/78/0911)
– Pte Abubakar Ali (19NA/78/2162)
– Pte Ibrahim Adamu (19NA/78/6079)
– Pte Adamu Ibrahim (21NA/80/4795)
