As the crisis rocking Okuama and Okoloba communities in Ughelli south and Bomadi local government areas of Delta State continues unabated, a right hand man of a former warlord, Government Ekpemupolo, also known as Tompolo, in charge of Tantita Security Services, Patrick Akpobolokemi, has been fingered.
Akpobolokemi, a former Director General of NIMASA, has since gone into hiding as the Nigerian army are now on the look out for him over his involvement in the saga that has lasted for months.
Okuama community in Ughelli south local government area was recently set ablaze by men of the Nigerian Army allegedly in connivance with Okoloba community civilian Joint Taskforce (JTF) in the early hours of Friday 15th March, 2024.
It would be recalled that on 27th Jan, 2024, Mr. Akpobolokemi who is in charge of Tatitan security operatives in the River Focados, a security company owns by Tompolo in charge of pipeline security surveillance in the Niger Delta region was alleged to have killed three youths of Okuama using TANTITA SECURITY BOAT with military uniform over long age land dispute between Okuama and Okoloba, an Ijaw community.
Following the death of these persons, crisis brewed in the area for over one month before normalcy returned to Okuama Community due to a peace accord by both communities at Asaba, the State capital and as such the initially displaced persons, returned to the community.
It was gathered that on Thursday 14th, 2024 some indigenes of Okoloba community in military uniforms invaded Okuama Community shooting sporadically, and killing scores of indigenes of Okuama Community.
On 15th, March 2024, Military men in different gunboats ransacked Okuama, a peaceful people on the alleged order of Akpobolokemi and burnt down the entire community, killing children and women, before turning Okuama, a once peaceful community to a shadow of itself.
It was alleged that Akpobolokemi once boasted that he is going to use his connections and resources to ensure all Urhobo communities along the Focados River are razed down, claiming that they are co-travellers and tenants to the ijaws.
The Community is using this medium to call on HIGH CHIEF GOVERNMENT EKPEMUPOLO as a matter of urgency to call Patrick Akpobolokemi and members of his TANTITA SECURITY outfits to order not to destroyed the image of his security operations.
We also call on PRESIDENT BOLA A. TINUBU through the office of the National Security Adviser MR NUHU RIBADU to call the military to order as their operations in the area should be on neutrality not under the influence of any guise.
