The Okuama community in Ughelli South Local Government Area of Delta State has been devastated following the tragic loss of fifteen soldiers.
Reports has it that the personnel were ambushed and killed by youths while responding to a distress call amidst a communal clash between Okuama and Okoloba communities on Thursday, March 14, 2024.
Fourteen bodies of the slain soldiers were discovered in the early hours of Saturday, March 16, by troops of the joint task force led by Major General Jamal Abdussalam, the General Officer Commanding 6th Division Nigerian Army, at Okuama community.
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Shockingly, some of the recovered corpses were found mutilated, with instances of beheading and removal of stomachs and hearts reported.
Allegations have surfaced suggesting potential involvement of enraged soldiers in retaliatory violence following the loss of their comrades.
Ongoing efforts to apprehend the perpetrators, including arrests is being made by the soldiers under the leadership of Major General Jamal Abdussalam, the manhunt for the killers continues.
In the wake of the tragedy, residents of the coastal community have fled to neighboring Ughelli out of fear of possible reprisals by the patrolling soldiers in the communities. The incident has left the community in mourning and heightened tensions in the affected region.
