Nigerian Army denies retaliatory attack after Delta community killed 16 soldiers

The military in Nigeria has denied a reported reprisal attack on a community in Delta State where more than a dozen men of the Nigerian army were killed while responding to communal clashes. The defence explained that his men were only searching for weapons used in the deadly attack and seeking to arrest the perpetrators…

The Nigeria Defence Headquarters has denied a reprisal attack following reports that men in army uniform ransacked and burned homes in Nigeria’s oil-producing Delta state.

The alleged reprisal comes days after youths in the state attacked and killed 16 soldiers sent there to resolve a land dispute.

Reports say soldiers attacked the riverside Okuoma community of a few hundred people on Sunday while looking for those responsible for Thursday’s killings.

An eyewitness account says uniformed men were going around searching for weapons and ransacking houses before setting them on fire.

While responding to the incident, the Nigerian defence chief, General Christopher Musa, denied that soldiers had attacked the community as reported.

He added that his men were only searching for weapons used in the deadly attack and seeking to arrest the perpetrators.

Communities in Delta State often clash over land or over compensation for oil spills by energy companies, leading to destructive effects.

The latest attack on men of the Nigerian army was widely condemned, with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu calling for an immediate probe and trial of the perpetrators of the unpatriotic act.