300 soldiers take over Delta community

OVER 300 soldiers were, on Monday, alleged to have laid siege to Ayakoromo community in Burutu Local Government Area of Delta State.

This is just as displaced members of the community have called for the arraignment of the chief of defence staff, service chiefs and members of the Joint Military Task Force (JTF) at the International War Crimes Tribunal.

The officers were alleged to be responsible for the invasion of the community by the soldiers attached to the task force, which resulted in the alleged killing of over 51 people, while another 100 people had been declared missing.

Also, members of the affected community had called for the immediate withdrawal of the troops deployed in the community by the Federal Government, so as to put an end to the alleged looting and maiming of innocent citizens.

Making this known during a press briefing in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, the spokesperson for Ayakoromo community, Yenagoa branch, Ebiakpo Barle, said the search for a militant leader, John Togo, had left in its trail, the displacement of over 10,000 people of the community.

He alleged that the soldiers invaded the community on December 1 and 2, in more than 10 gunboats, launching both aerial and land attacks on innocent citizens which was against the United Nation Charter.

According to him, no civilised military in the world would invade its own territory, kill and maim indigenes and raze houses of innocent citizens under the guise of arresting criminals.

“Every professional army with the awesome intelligence at its disposal, even in war-torn territories, will not take to this barbarity, because every military expedition is guided by operational directives or rules of engagement,” Barle said.