Delta State Community in Panic and Fear as Soldiers Shoot Indiscriminately

Militants from the Niger-Delta region

Nigerian soldiers on a mission to fish out the Niger-Delta Avengers have stormed a Delta community allegedly shooting sporadically and indiscriminately at residents. 

Soldiers, who laid siege to Oporoza community, traditional headquarters of Gbaramatu kingdom, Warri South-West Local Government Area, Delta State, at 1.52 am, started shooting indiscriminately at about 8.44 am, causing more confusion in the riverine town.

According to Vanguard, villagers who ran into the forest on sighting them with gunboats were yet to return, as soldiers, who came in search of ex-militant leader, Government Ekpemupolo, alias Tompolo, and members of the Niger Delta Avengers, have taken over the community. 

Ijaw leader, Chief Godspower Gbenekama, told Vanguard on phone at about 9.00 am: “Soldiers have started shooting in Oporoza as I speak to you now, I do not know the casualty, but they are shooting right now, the whole town is in turmoil.” 

His words: “I am crying on behalf of my people, we have been saying before now that we do not know what the military is looking for in Oporoza, they have come two times before now in the last few weeks. We said then that they were looking for excuse to start shooting, now they are shooting, we do not know what will happen after the shooting.” 

National President of Ijaw People’s Development Initiative, Mr. Austin Ozobo, also raised the alarm that soldiers were shooting in Oporoza and called on the Federal Government to call the soldiers to order. 

A villager, who called our reporter on phone, said: “The military is currently shooting randomly in Oporoza but we do not know whether it was aimed at anybody because we are still in the forest. We ran into the forest this morning.