Villagers flee as Soldiers invade Bayelsa community

Residents in Ayamabele Okordia community in Yenagoa local government area have fled their houses following invasion of the community by troops serving in Operation Delta Safe.

Ayamabele an oil rich community in Bayelsa State when heavily armed soldiers from Operation Delta Safe shot indiscriminately at harmless members of the community and abducted a young man who was hit and probably dead as at the time of filing this report.

According to an eye-witness, who prefer to remain anonymous, the heavily armed soldiers drove into the community in a convoy of three utility vehicles. Two of the vans bore the colour and inscription OPERATION DELTA SAFE while the third was a plain white hilux pickup van. All the vehicles were crammed full with armed Army personel with a few civilians in-between.

In the words of the eye witness “it was about 10am Friday morning when heavily armed Operation Delta Safe soldiers stormed Okordia- Ayamabele to be precise shooting sporadically and indiscriminately as they drove through and towards a shop where some youths and elders were relaxing. As is natural to anyone sensing danger, everybody scampered away when it appeared the shooting was aimed at their (youths) direction. While some dove into the nearby Creek and swam across, others ran into the bush, farm lands just anywhere that would take them away from the sights of the blazing soldiers guns. A young man Timinipre Wanemi aka Omo was however not lucky as he was felled by the bullets.”

The soldiers, the eyewitness remarked, picked the young man from where he had fallen, threw him into their van and zoomed off.

In reaction to the unprovoked shooting and abduction of Timinipre Wanemi, and to ascertain where the young man is, family members and leaders in the Community went to all OPDS Army formations in Yenagoa, the State capital and environs. At each of these Units, the military authorities there claimed that they know nothing of the said Invasion at Okordia nor the whereabouts of Timinipre Wanemi.

Though the incident has been reported to the Police who have already commenced investigations, family members and the entire community, our correspondent gathered, are deeply worried about the very disturbing development which appear to make many believe that the soldiers who came to carry out that dastardly act came at the instigation of a Contractor from a neighbouring community bent on cornering a subsisting pipeline survey contract being undertaken by one of their own.

Findings from our investigation revealed that the suspected Contractor, one Briye Okoroye from the neighbouring Biseni community had made several attempts before now to replace the contractors from Okordia whose existing pipeline survey contract with AGIP had not been revoked by the Italian multinational oil giant operating in that cluster.

In a long twist of conspiracy and betrayals, the Biseni contractor was alleged to have solicited the assistance of some elements from Okordia who, against the wishes of the communities, gave him the power of attorney for AGIP to recognize him as the person that should be given the pipeline survey contract soonest the existing one expires. Consequent upon the insistence by majority of the Okordia people not to allow Briye Okoroye have his way, the man, our correspondent gathered, may have decided to take the law into his hands by inviting the “unknown soldiers “ to come and teach the people a lesson.

Daddy Ozabeme, Honest Ozabeme, Prince Osokuna, alleged to be aiding the Biseni Contractor to undermine their own in what some said could, if not quickly nipped in the bud could cause a communal conflict in the area were suspected to be among the civilians said to be in one of the vans that brought the invading soldiers to Okordia.

Meanwhile, as the search for the shot and abducted Timinipre Wanemi goes on, the family members are appealing to the Nigerian Army to investigate the matter thoroughly and order those who were involved to bring back their son to them since he had done nothing wrong against the state or any constituted authority to warrant the kind of fate which members of OPERATION DELTA SAFE meted out to him that fateful Friday.

The family is equally appealing to the vibrant body of Civil Society Organizations in the state and beyond , the Press and the general public to lend their voice in seeking for justice and release of their son from the clutches of the soldiers or those who sent them.

When contacted through, a source at the JTF HQ declined to make comments asking that the reporter to come on Monday for further information about the matter if any.